The Big Picture

Collider’s Perri Nemiroff sits down with Daisy Ridley to discuss making her new movie,
Young Woman and the Sea
.
The film tells the true story of the first woman to swim across the English Channel, Trudy Ederle.
Catch
Young Woman and the Sea
in select theaters beginning May 31.

Daisy Ridley knows a thing or two about stunt work. After all, she broke out in Hollywood playing a kick-ass Jedi in one of the biggest film franchises of all-time, Star Wars. Her latest release, Young Woman and the Sea, however, posed an unprecedented physical challenge for Ridley. She had to train to believably portray an Olympic champion and the first woman to swim across the English Channel.

Ridley headlines the Joachim Rønning-directed biopic as Trudy Ederle. Growing up in the early 20th century, Trudy’s eagerness to swim at a professional level wasn’t supported. Despite having the natural talent to break records, at the time, most sports didn’t exist for women. But, Trudy wasn’t about to let that stop her. With her sister’s (Tilda Cobham-Hervey) support, Trudy broke barriers by accumulating swimming records and inspiring young women, changing the sport forever.

With Young Woman and the Sea hitting select theaters on May 31, I got the chance to chat with Ridley about her general enthusiasm for stunt work, and the specific challenges of accurately portraying a renowned distance swimmer.

There Were Moments When Ridley Wondered, “Am I Gonna Be Okay?”

There’s a big difference between appearing as though one’s mastered a sport on-screen and coming across as the real deal. Given Ridley “honestly could not do 20 meters of a front crawl” going into making Young Woman and the Sea, she had her work cut out for her.

“I was not just training in order to look like I could swim on-screen. I was training because I needed to swim believably on-screen. All those races I was doing, I had to keep pace with the camera, I had to keep pace with the other swimmers. I had to look truly like a swimmer, and
there’s just no way to fake swimming
. And then, as someone who really doesn’t like open water, I also had to be, honestly, by myself.”

While Ridley affirmed the filming environment was safe, that doesn’t mean fear didn’t creep in every now and then. She continued:

“
There were a lot of people making sure I was okay, but there were always moments where you think, ‘Am I gonna be okay?’
And there’s a moment where Trudy is sabotaged in the film, and I had to put my head under and be lifeless in the water. It was terrifying because you’re there and the current’s dragging you away, and you know the shot’s still going and you don’t want to ruin the shot, but you’re thinking, ‘How long can I stay under here for?’ So, yes, I wanted to look like a good swimmer, but I also literally needed to swim in order to make the film.”

‘The Fall Guy’ Reminded Daisy Ridley “I’ve Done Some Cool Shit”

One of the most exciting qualities of a movie like Young Woman and the Sea? It’s bound to inspire people to take up swimming, either as a hobby or competitively.

While it didn’t inspire her to try something new, Ridley did highlight a recent movie that upped her appreciation for the experiences she’s been lucky enough to have — The Fall Guy starring Ryan Gosling, a movie that I found to be the ultimate love letter to stunt work and filmmaking. She explained:

“It didn’t inspire me to try something new, but when I watched
The Fall Guy
recently, I did think, ‘I am so lucky that I’ve got to do films with loads of stunt work,’ because, really, that is great. I love stunt work. It’s difficult and it can be dangerous, but stunt teams are so great. I watched it and thought, ‘This is really cool. I’ve done some cool shit.’ I’m really happy that I’ve got to do the full gamut of things, a film like
Sometimes I Think About Dying
where the most I do is walk on screen and then something like
Young Woman and the Sea
where I swim for nine days and I’m in the open water by myself.”

Daisy Ridley’s Hopes to Discover New Things While Making Her Next ‘Star Wars’ Movie
Image via Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Related No, Daisy Ridley Still Doesn’t Have the Finished Script For Her New ‘Star Wars’ Movie [Exclusive] Ridley is excited about the challenge of returning to Rey after so many years away from the franchise.

Clearly Ridley’s already accomplished a lot, but she’s got her sights set on the new discoveries she’s bound to make on future projects including her new Star Wars movie.

“I feel like every job I’ve done, I have challenged myself in a way, and oftentimes it’s not presented until you’re there and you think, ‘Oh my god.’ For instance,
Young Woman and the Sea
, the scene between me and Tilda [Cobham-Hervey] as Trudy and Meg, really the lowest point of the movie, I was really nervous about doing the scene and knew it would be difficult, and then there’s a stamina you have to continue to do because you’re continuing to do the scene. So you’re discovering things as you go. It’s all an adventure. So this one feels, I mean, it’s the same because I’m playing a character I’ve played before, but it’s different because it’s been many years.
I would hope I’m coming back as a richer artist, but also, I’m in different hands, so that’s interesting and new, [and] a different story. So that, I think, will be a discovery as we go on.
”

Eager to hear even more from Ridley on the making of Young Woman and the Sea? You can catch our full conversation in the video at the top of this article.

Young Woman and the Sea Charting the true story of a pioneering female swimmer who sets out to conquer the English Channel, a feat dominated by men in the early 20th century. Her grueling preparation and the swim itself test her physical and emotional limits, challenging societal expectations and changing perceptions of women in sports.Release Date May 31, 2024 Runtime 100 Minutes Main Genre Biography

Young Woman and the Sea arrives in select theaters on May 31. Click below for showtimes.

Get Tickets