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When Jodie Foster, 61, signed on to play coach Bonnie Stoll in the Oscar-nominated film nyad, had just wrapped filming a decidedly different film, in which she played a thin, clothed lawyer. She told the film’s directors that she planned to start training immediately, they told the Washington Post.
“We never heard from her again,” Jimmy Chin, who directed the film with his wife Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, told the newspaper. Washington Post. “And then she showed up broken.”
nyad follows the true story of marathon swimmer Diana Nyad (played by Annette Bening, 65), who impressively swam 110 miles from Cuba to Florida in 2013. Diana was 64 years old when she completed the feat with the help of her friend nearby, ex-girlfriend and coach Stoll. Both Annette and Jodie are Oscar nominated for their performances.
Jodie spent months intensely preparing her body.
Jodie, 61, spent the months between booking and filming training at the gym and spending time with athlete and racquetball pro Bonnie. Bonnie, 71, is described in the Mail As a woman who does 100 reps of shoulder, bicep and abdominal movements a day, power walks for two hours, and does military-style pull-ups and chin-ups, Jodie definitely had her work cut out for her.
According to the Mail, Jodie exercised daily before and during filming. She alternated between kettlebell exercises and lifting heavy weights, and she ate a strict diet consisting mainly of brown rice, chicken and broccoli. After filming wrapped, she told Bonnie Stoll, “I hope I never see chicken again,” according to the newspaper.
It seems all her training paid off, as Jodie is incredibly strong in the film, which was filmed in both open water and a tank, with limited use of stunt doubles, according to The times of the strait.
Both Jodie and Annette worked hard to break down illusions about the limitations of older women, which is reflected in the triumphant story and their physical transformations. “It was important to both actors that we not touch their bodies, as happens with retouching,” Vasarhelyi told the Washington Post. “They were committed to playing women their age.”
He Mail reported that part of what motivated Jodie to join the film’s cast was the opportunity to play, opposite Annette, older women who were “badasses.”
Jodie has approached aging with openness and vulnerability for years.
In a conversation with Interview MagazineJodie says she went through some tough times in her fifties, but really found a new perspective in her sixties.
“I was struggling when I was fifty. I thought, ‘Will I ever do something meaningful again? This is all there is?’ And there’s that awkward phase where everyone in their forties and fifties is too busy getting fat and shooting shit in their faces. I didn’t want that life, but I also knew I couldn’t compete with the old me,” Jodie shared. Once she reached the age of 60, she saw things from a more positive perspective.
“I think there was something about coming back to work with a different attitude. About really enjoying supporting other people and saying to myself, ‘This is not my time.’ I had my time. This is his moment and I can participate in it by giving them all the wisdom I have.’ In some ways, it is much more satisfying to be part of a team that is doing something incredible than to be alone trying to jump over that hill and make something out of nothing,” he shared in the interview.
As part of his on-screen support in nyadJodie also spent a batch of time getting to know Bonnie and her gestures, the athlete shared with People.
“Most of the time I can’t sit still,” Bonnie told the magazine. Jodie approached. We sat outside for three hours straight. I didn’t even think about standing up. You know, ‘What’s your favorite food?’ ‘Oh, me too!’ That kind of things.”
The women still keep in touch and bond over their love of the NFL and a card game called Push.
Jacqueline Tempera is an award-winning writer and reporter who lives in New Jersey with her many pets. She is a business owner and a Scorpio double who loves all things astrology and reality TV. She is passionate about body diversity and representation, mental health, and the fight to end sexual assault and harassment. For more information about Jackie, follow her on Instagram @jacktemp or visit her website at jackietempera.com.
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