Daisy Ridley trained for more than three months to portray Trudy Ederle in Disney’s Young Woman and the Sea. Ederle’s real achievement was historic: in 1926, she became the first woman to successfully swim the English Channel.
How long did Daisy Ridley train for the film?
Disney producer Jerry Bruckheimer said in the production notes, “She had to train for over three months to look like an Olympic swimmer.” D23 likewise reports that Ridley worked with coaches, including Olympic silver medalist Siobhan Marie O’Connor, for three months before filming. These accounts describe preparation for the role; they do not establish that Ridley became an elite or competitive open-water swimmer.
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Ridley described the film’s connection to the sport this way in D23’s feature on the creative team: “This film is a love letter to swimming.”
Who was Trudy Ederle?
Gertrude “Trudy” Ederle was an American competitive swimmer. In 1926, at 19, she became the first woman to successfully swim the English Channel. Disney says her crossing was faster than the times of the five men who had completed it before her.
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How long and how far was Ederle’s crossing?
Accounts differ on the exact time, so a careful summary is that Ederle’s crossing took about 14½ hours. The Walt Disney Company gives the time as 14 hours and 34 minutes; TIME and the Associated Press report 14 hours and 31 minutes.
| Measure | What the figure describes | Reported figure |
|---|---|---|
| Crossing time | Exact duration attributed to each account | The Walt Disney Company: 14 hours, 34 minutes; TIME and Associated Press: 14 hours, 31 minutes |
| Distance | Conventional description of the Channel crossing | 21 miles |
| Distance | Distance Ederle swam that day, including the route affected by tides and currents | 35 miles, according to the Associated Press |
The 21-mile figure describes the conventional Channel crossing, while AP’s 35-mile figure refers to the distance Ederle swam along her actual route. They describe different things, rather than a simple disagreement about one fixed route.
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What is Young Woman and the Sea based on?
The 2024 film, directed by Joachim Rønning and starring Ridley as Ederle, is based on Ederle’s story. Its source is Glenn Stout’s 2009 nonfiction book, Young Woman and the Sea: How Trudy Ederle Conquered the English Channel and Inspired the World. Stout told TIME of Ederle’s swimming career, “She held virtually every world record you could hold for women’s freestyle swimming.”
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Where can you watch the film?
Disney identifies Disney+ as a viewing destination and announced a streaming start date of July 19, 2024. That launch date does not confirm current availability in every country; check the Disney+ catalog for your territory.
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