The Star Wars star returns to screens in channel-swimming heart warmer, Young Woman and the Sea. Report by Nelsonj. Like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/itn and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/itn
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00:00 Hello!
00:01 Hello.
00:02 I tell you what, Young Woman and the Sea, I love these kind of movies because to me
00:04 they're very much like a Sunday afternoon movie.
00:07 Like Chariots of Fire, Escape to Victory, Fly Away Home, Goonies.
00:13 Those sort of like, that's what this took me as.
00:16 And you don't seem to see as many of those anymore.
00:19 When you made it, when you were going through the script and stuff like that, was that what
00:22 you had in mind, kind of just this is a wholesome, sit around with the family, weekend movie?
00:27 It's funny, I don't know that I, I think it's one of those things where you read something
00:32 and it's your experience and how you feel about the thing.
00:34 And then as it takes form and you realise what it might be.
00:38 I remember, I just loved the script anyway.
00:40 I loved Geoff Nathanson.
00:42 I met Joachim, loved Joachim.
00:43 The whole team I was so thrilled to work with.
00:46 And I loved the script, just as loving the script.
00:49 And then knowing that it was about a real woman, that's amazing too.
00:53 And then I remember Geoff saying as we were filming, you just love this family.
00:57 He said, watching the rushes even, you just want to spend time with this family.
01:01 So as we were filming and then as we've been discussing it, it really feels like something
01:05 that's hitting that sweet spot for people.
01:09 It's a family movie.
01:10 It's a film about triumphing over adversity and defying the odds.
01:15 But also it's a movie about family and sisters and parents and someone doing something magnificent
01:22 alone, but also the support team they have.
01:24 So it feels like it just feels good.
01:28 And a lot of people have said how good they feel at the end of it, which is great.
01:32 Maybe that's the thing, when you're feeling good and you feel safe and you feel part of
01:35 the family, it reminds you of times when you were with your family and watching these kind
01:39 of movies.
01:40 And that's why I guess it took me to growing up in those afternoons when it's raining and
01:44 you want something to stick to the TV too.
01:47 You must be buzzing as an actor when, you read a lot of scripts and get a lot of different
01:50 stories, but when you hear something that seems very unique and the big parade you get
01:54 at the end, which obviously really happened, and you think, why haven't I seen this more
01:59 before?
02:01 Was that part of the excitement going, wow, this is a real thing?
02:04 And it's, check your notes, it's not been covered a thousand times already.
02:08 It certainly was.
02:09 I just couldn't believe that I didn't know of her.
02:13 And then the ticker tape parade, when you actually see the real footage, it's even our
02:17 film you think, oh, that's an exaggeration.
02:20 And you see the ticker tape parade, it's just not an exaggeration.
02:24 So that is just wonderful.
02:27 And the fact that we're really introducing her to people that don't know about her is
02:31 great, but also personally playing her, playing resilience and determination and loving something
02:39 just for the love of it is so wonderful.
02:42 And then that's growing and that's changing throughout the film.
02:45 So I felt acting wise, I had so many places to go because each new challenge is something
02:52 else to be overcome in a different way, whether that's the fracture between her and her sister
02:58 who love each other so much, but figuring out how in this new world when Trudy's at
03:02 her lowest and Meg's at her lowest, how are they navigating that together?
03:05 There was so much to dig into and the swim is real and Trudy was real, but there is limited
03:11 information about her.
03:12 So getting to have creative license about those relationships around her and how they
03:16 might have really felt in the day to day is wonderful.
03:20 Kind of challenging.
03:21 I mean, unless it's CGI putting Star Wars to shame, I'm guessing you spent a lot of
03:25 time in open water for this, which absolutely terrifies me.
03:29 Is that something you're actually, was that something you were into and for years you're
03:32 thinking, I can't wait to get a movie where I can swim a lot?
03:34 Or is this something where you just had to spend hours and hours swallowing salt water
03:38 for this?
03:39 I had to spend hours and hours swimming in pools.
03:43 It was actually, there had been a storm out to sea in the Black Sea, so we actually weren't
03:48 able to train in the sea until I got to the sea because it was dangerous to swim in those
03:53 conditions.
03:54 It was scary and it was overwhelming and each time you do something you think, okay, a bit
04:01 of the swim's done and then I get out and get warm and get dry and then you have to
04:04 get back in over and over and over and over again for days and days and days at a time.
04:08 So really it was as much, I mean, I did all of the physical training for three months
04:12 and all of the supplementary training when we were filming, but the mental hurdle was
04:17 really something to overcome because I do not like open water.
04:22 I don't go in the sea beyond where I can see the floor.
04:25 That is something that is deeply uncomfortable to me.
04:28 And each time, I mean, I would go back to the support boat and have all my panics, but
04:32 then getting there, there was no way I was going to interrupt filming with it, but certainly
04:35 there was a lot I had to squash to play someone who loved it.
04:40 Unlikely we're going to see you signing up for a charity swim again across the actual
04:43 English channel.
04:44 Yeah, no, I mean a couple lengths.
04:46 A couple of lengths, that's fine.
04:47 And I'll sponsor people.
04:48 Oh yeah, you could do that.
04:50 Not me, I'm absolutely terrified of it, but if I see anyone out in the back, I'll send
04:54 them.