Based on the extraordinary true story of Trudy Ederle, “Young Woman and the Sea” stars Daisy Ridley as the accomplished swimmer who was born to immigrant parents in New York City in 1905. Through the steadfast support of her older sister and supportive trainers, she overcame adversity and the animosity of a patriarchal society to rise through the ranks of the Olympic swimming team and complete the staggering achievement – a 21-mile trek from France to England.

Entertainment Affair recently joined Ridley, along with director Joachim Rønning and producer Jerry Bruckheimer, for a virtual press conference where they shared what it took to bring Trudy’s remarkable story to the screen.

Ridley wanted the role of Trudy Ederly so badly that she confessed to lying about her swimming experience.
“I was like, ‘I’m great at swimming, I love open water,’ because, of course, I wanted to do this role. And then as things got closer, I thought, ‘Hmm, how is this going to go,” Ridley said with a laugh.

“I trained for three months before we started filming, then continued training during filming. My swimming technique got so much better. The last shot I did, I swam for probably 150 meters in the sea, battling currents, keeping up with the camera boat.”

Norwegian director Joachim Rønning was shocked he didn’t know Trudy’s story.
“I was shocked that I didn't know the story because it was such a worldwide event when it happened a hundred years ago. And in many ways it changed women's sports forever. It's obviously dramatic, but it has so much warmth and emotions and humor and it's scary. And all of that was on the pages of Jeff Nathanson's wonderful script. So I just feel very honored, and I'm very proud of having been a part of this and given the opportunity to retell Trudy's story to my teenage daughters as well as the daughters of the world.”

Bruckheimer shared the film was born out of a desire to create new memories for families.
“[Jeff Nathanson] was looking for something for his daughters to watch, and he couldn't find anything. So he went to a used bookstore and found this book called Young Woman and the Sea, and he thought it was a great inspirational story. He brought it to us, and we loved it. We fell in love with it and got Joachim and Daisy [Ridley] involved. But it took us about nine years between writing the screenplay and at various different studios. And then we got a budget that everybody liked, and we finally got the movie made.”

Ridley finds in Ederle her best part to date.
“I was excited to play Trudy. She's the most joyful character I’ve played. She’s determined. Initially she doesn’t see the barriers that everyone else is aware of. She’s just on her journey. But really, for me, the whole was greater than just playing her, because I saw this family who are wonderful and lovable and who you want to spend time with.”

“Young Woman and the Sea” is now streaming on Disney+.