NYAD is not just a sports film. It tells the true story of Diana Nyad, a world-class athlete who sets her sights on a seemingly impossible challenge at 60: swimming 110 miles from Cuba to Florida, a journey often dubbed the “Mount Everest” of swims. Her goal? To conquer this treacherous stretch of water without the protection of a shark cage.
In this interview with Bonnie Stoll, Diana's best friend and coach, and director duo Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin, they discuss bringing this remarkable true story of tenacity, friendship, and the indomitable human spirit to screens.
In this interview with Bonnie Stoll, Diana's best friend and coach, and director duo Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin, they discuss bringing this remarkable true story of tenacity, friendship, and the indomitable human spirit to screens.
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00:00 I am just so thrilled that we're being able to celebrate this story.
00:03 And just kind of to start off going over to you, Bonnie,
00:06 I mean, this film really introduces Diana,
00:09 and we get to know her beyond just this swim.
00:12 And we also just get to see this amazing queer friendship
00:15 that I feel like we don't really get to see on screens often.
00:18 So I wanted to ask you, what does it mean to know
00:20 that this inspirational story is going to resonate with so many people?
00:24 It's an honour, A.
00:25 And we do get to know Diana through this unbelievable film.
00:29 We certainly don't get to know all of Diana.
00:31 She's got... she's just a pretty fabulous person also.
00:35 And the parts that were chosen to fixate on in the story,
00:41 they so worked.
00:42 They so worked because there's an arc and she does change.
00:45 And the change in her life, this is a very...
00:51 it's sort of equal to the way her life has been, you know.
00:55 I think it's a real tribute.
00:59 Real tribute to Diana, to us as friends,
01:02 and to everybody involved in the film.
01:04 That's wonderful to hear.
01:06 I love that.
01:06 And I really did enjoy how you chose to bring it to life,
01:09 mixing that storytelling with like the epic action scenes.
01:12 So going over to you two as the directors,
01:14 I mean, how did you incorporate that storytelling?
01:17 Was it a challenge to be able to like bring in those flashbacks?
01:20 I mean, it's always tricky, right?
01:24 Because the tone of this film was really important.
01:28 Because we wanted to treat, you know,
01:31 her traumatic experiences with great respect.
01:34 We wanted... we didn't want to diminish them.
01:38 At the same time, we wanted to celebrate the type of friendship
01:40 that you don't often get to see in films.
01:42 And also an experience of a woman of a certain age
01:45 that we often don't get to see.
01:46 So, you know, it was tricky and it was a balancing act.
01:50 But when you're working with the caliber of talent,
01:53 like Annette Bening and Jodie Foster,
01:56 it's just so empowering because you have these performances
01:59 that bring such depth and commitment to them.
02:01 Like, you know, Annette trained for over a year
02:03 for the physical demands.
02:05 And also Annette was like unafraid of showing a woman
02:08 who may not be always likable.
02:10 So, you know, it was fun and it was hard
02:13 and we had a wonderful team.
02:15 But, you know, we were afforded the time
02:18 to try to get it right.
02:19 Absolutely.
02:20 And Jimmy, I want to go to you.
02:22 I know that Diana kind of faces all these surprising challenges,
02:25 jellyfish, sharks.
02:26 Was there any surprising challenges
02:28 you faced during filming?
02:29 Yeah, I mean, I think we filmed in a lot of very difficult
02:34 environments in the past,
02:36 whether that's in the Himalayas or on El Cap,
02:38 with very limited resources,
02:41 sometimes running out of food.
02:42 But on this project,
02:46 it's absolutely true what people say,
02:48 that shooting in water is the most difficult environment
02:51 to shoot in.
02:52 And, you know, not only did we face the challenges,
02:56 you know, logistically of how to shoot in the water,
02:59 but we were also really hoping to push the cinematography.
03:03 So, you know, we spent a lot of time on the storyboards,
03:07 on getting the right equipment,
03:08 and actually pushing the technology available
03:12 to be able to shoot the way that we shot
03:14 and really try to, on one end,
03:17 capture the scope and scale of this huge ocean
03:21 and this little person trying to swim across it.
03:23 But we also wanted to get up tight and close
03:27 and bring people into the moment with Diana's experience.
03:32 So that was a good challenge for us.
03:34 Absolutely. I definitely think it paid off.
03:36 I loved it.
03:37 So I just had one question for you, Bonnie.
03:39 I know that you're giving over your story to Jodie Foster
03:42 and just, you know, letting her bring it to life.
03:44 Was that challenging for you?
03:45 No.
03:46 No?
03:46 No.
03:47 I mean, she's a treasure.
03:48 No, yeah, I mean, she's the best.
03:50 I mean, we don't really look alike, but she,
03:53 I mean, I thought it was me.
03:54 I was watching myself on screen.
03:55 Yeah, I don't have any doubts about this.
03:58 Amazing. Well, congratulations to you all.
04:01 Thank you.
04:01 For all the time you had.
04:02 Thank you.
04:02 Thank you.
04:02 Good job.
04:03 Yeah, thank you.