Sometimes, the ocean just calls to you. Whether you’re a surfer, die-hard swimmer or, in the case of filmmaker Joachim Rønning, it’s either a coincidence or the inner workings of Mother Nature that always find you back on the shore, pursuing that thing you love. Rønning directed the fifth Pirates of the Caribbean movie, as well as Kon-Tiki (2012), both heavily maritime movies. And now, the Hollywood-by-way-of-Norway filmmaker just helmed Young Woman and the Sea, which is now playing in theaters. It tells the remarkable true story of Trudy Ederle (played by Daisy Ridley), the first woman to successfully swim across the English Channel and change women’s sports forever back in the 1920s.

Disney’s terrific new film will inspire swimmers, athletes, and just about anyone who dares to dream. It’s a role Ridley was born to play, and we recently caught up with Rønning to learn what it was like working with her, why he loves the ocean so much, and the current status of his exciting next project in the works: Tron: Ares.

‘It’s Important to Know Your History’
Young Woman and the Sea 4/5 Young Woman and the Sea tells the story of Gertrude Ederle, an American swimming champion, who first won a gold medal at the 1924 Olympic Games. In 1926, Ederle became the first woman to swim 21 miles across the English Channel.Release Date May 31, 2024 Runtime 1h 40m Distributor(s) Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Taking on the great challenge of a sports biopic like Young Woman and the Sea and depicting a groundbreaking time in our history must certainly be daunting, even for an experienced filmmaker like Rønning. “I read the script for the first time, not knowing anything, and was completely floored by it and just immediately felt this great sense of responsibility. Like, ‘How can I tell this story in the best way I can?'” he told MovieWeb, adding:

”
I think it’s important to know your history a little bit. And it was such a big event at the time and probably changed women’s sports forever
. So for me, it was a great honor to be able to tell this story for a modern audience, because it is a story that not that many people know about. And it’s about time to tell it.”

Related 10 Best Oscar-Nominated Biopics of All Time, Ranked These Oscar-nominated biopics capture different personas and different times. They all play significant roles in the cinematic world.

Stories on the Ocean: From Pirates of the Caribbean and Kon-Tiki to Young Woman and the Sea

Given that Rønning has now helmed at least three feature films based around the water, he explained perhaps where it all started — and that it’s not necessarily an accidental trend at this point. “I would say it’s mixed emotions. But I think I’m drawn to stories on the ocean because I grew up by the ocean. I grew up sailing, and I grew up like in the fjords of Norway, and so I feel it’s like a magical place. It’s a wonderful backdrop, and it’s an important place to take care of,” explained the filmmaker. He added:

I think it’s a coincidence that I ended up doing this film, but maybe it’s not! Maybe it’s just me loving it so much to be out there, because I don’t get to be on the ocean except when I’m shooting, and so that’s why those stories are appealing to me.

4:21 Related Jerry Bruckheimer on Young Woman and the Sea and the Future of Bad Boys Oscar-winning producer Jerry Bruckheimer spoke to us about tackling another water-centric film and those budget rumors about Brad Pitt’s F1 movie.

Daisy Ridley Is a ‘Force of Nature’ in Young Woman and the Sea

Speaking of the ocean, watch out for some intense and even frightening sequences in Rønning’s new film, despite its PG rating. Ederle must power through some pretty wild situations while journeying across the English Channel — particularly one visually striking scene involving a swarm of jellyfish. “That’s probably the only sequence with computer-generated elements, because it was so important for me to be out on the ocean and shoot this as real as possible,” said Rønning. “I even told Daisy Ridley that, before going into it.”

“And she started training in open water, training for months and months before we started shooting,” continued Rønning. “And she went in there, we had weeks and weeks on the open ocean, and she was in there, 60 degrees, until her lips were blue. And it was just so amazing to watch her — this force of nature, kind of channeling through the other lady, in front of my camera. And I really hope that the audience can somehow feel that we did it as real as we could. We didn’t risk our lives, obviously, but it became very important for me to do it in that way.”

It’s On to Tron for Joachim Rønning
Disney

Now, it’s on to the next one for Rønning, and it’s vastly different in nature despite remaining under the Disney umbrella — Tron: Ares. Rønning remarked on how he was happy to be off the grid previously for Young Woman and the Sea for a bit. “It’s a nice change of pace,” he said. “I feel extremely lucky to be able to tell different stories and just blessed by those chances that I get. So now I’m going back into the dark editing room to start cutting Tron, so a little bit of both worlds.”

From Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, Young Woman and the Sea is now playing in theaters.