As published in CLAUDIA

The interview with actress Daisy Ridley, for my column in CLAUDIA, is about the biography of Trudy Ederle, the world swimming record holder who is played by the actress in the film The Young Woman and the Sea.

As I posted in May, Trudy’s extraordinary story is fascinating both inside and outside the water, an example of overcoming and resilience. Known as the Queen of the Waves, the young woman who overcame deafness and health problems, as well as the social norms of the time (in the repressive 1920s), was the first woman to swim across the English Channel and held the time record of the crossing for no less than 35 years.

Like Trudy, Daisy had to spend months in the water training and face tough training to give realism to the role, including learning to swim in cold and open waters, with all the challenges of the sport. She had guidance from 2016 Olympic champion Sian Clifford, who helped her better understand what her character faced.

Outside the water Trudy Ederle was also a legend: she ended up completely losing her hearing and spent her life teaching deaf children how to swim. In the quick chat that Daisy had with me on the night of the film’s release in the United States, back in May, she was very emotional. Nobody blames you, right?

Here’s a chat with Daisy, who spent a few minutes online with me on the night of the film’s release in the United States. See everything in full on CLAUDIA’s website

CLAUDIA: This story is incredible. A woman who for 35 years held an unbelievable record and the world apparently didn’t know much about her story. What was it like when you found out, your reaction, and the relevance of telling the story now?
Daisy: Honestly, I was a little embarrassed that I didn’t know. And I think a lot of people I’ve talked to feel the same way. It’s unbelievable that people don’t know about it and go over time by many hours. So when I read the script, I loved it! And I was very excited to tell her story. And now, even a few more years later, it seems that the conversation around women’s sports continues, as does visibility and salary quality. So it feels more than ever like this is a shining moment for women’s sport.

CLAUDIA: If you look at your filmography, you have a series of strong women. Has Trudy’s life revealed a new challenge?
Daisy: For me, playing Trudy was experiencing her challenge: telling how she loved swimming, and how she saw an opportunity to challenge herself. Playing that is wonderful and it’s also wonderful to have no other reason than to just want to do it. (laughs) But I also loved that she could maybe do it all on her own, but she had the support of her family. She and her sister love each other very much and represent two very different moments.

“Telling a story about someone who is so supported and loved and almost driven by that in this swim is, for me, really the heart of the film.”

CLAUDIA: What are the main differences?
Daisy: Trudy is totally atypical and honestly has some freedom because of that. And Meg doesn’t really, it’s more as expected at the time, but they are very supportive of each other. Trudy has a family who is afraid for her but wants her to try. Telling a story about someone who is so supported and loved and almost driven by that in this swim is, to me, really the heart of the film.

CLAUDIA: And you also went through training, right?
Daisy: I trained for three months before we started filming and I continued training during filming: at night, on weekends, and then swimming in front of the cameras. The big dive occurred at the end of the film and physically it was a challenge. It’s exciting to learn a new skill, but very tiring. And at the end of the film, there were really a lot of mental difficulties to overcome because every time I had to go back into the water it was very cold. The chains and having to follow the camera were overwhelming. I had to swim, go out, warm up, and then come back.

“We tell the stories of people doing incredible things”

CLAUDIA: Exhausting just listening!
Daisy: I look back and even watching the movie last night, I thought, wow, I really swam! (laughter). But again, just like Trudy in the film, just like Diane Nyad who I met and it was really crazy to be with her at the premiere of The Young Woman and the Sea, we tell the stories of people doing amazing things. I know they do things on their own all the time, but most of the time they have an amazing team behind them and I had an amazing hair and makeup team that was there wrapping me in towels, an amazing swim coach, an amazing team of rescue sports. It was art imitating life in this way that I was able to show a little of what Trudy did. I am happy with that!

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