From Jedi to Channel swimmer, actor Daisy Ridley on Olympic-standard movie prep

ITV News Entertainment Reporter Rishi Davda spoke to the Star Wars star about her latest role

One thing all good actors have to possess is range, the ability to seamlessly and believable embody different characters.

Star Wars star Daisy Ridley finds herself stepping from Jedi to Channel swimmer in her latest movie Young Woman and the Sea.

The British-born actor is playing Gertrude ‘Trudy’ Ederle, the first woman to swim the English Channel back in 1926.

Gertrude Ederle became the first woman to swim the English Channel on August 6, 1926. Credit: AP

Ridley admits to me that she wasn’t "familiar at all" with Trudy’s story before she read the script.

She added: "It felt a bit shameful. Even trying to research her, there is a limited amount out there, which is strange because what she did was so monumental at the time. It’s wonderful reintroducing her to a modern audience."

Ederle was known for never taking no for an answer. She fought her way to the Paris Olympic Games in 1924, winning a gold and two bronze medals.

Her swimming journey had constant doubters, many citing the widely-held view at the time that women shouldn’t swim or wear bathing suits in public.

The patriarchal practices of the 1920s were no barrier to Trudy who ploughed on regardless, her determination carving a path for women in sport.

‘Young Woman and the Sea’ is out in select cinemas May 31, 2024

Reflecting on how things have changed since Trudy’s time, Ridley acknowledges: "There are certain things that have happened over the past 100 years that have allowed me to live a life of much more freedom than they were doing.

"It’s amazing we’re having more of a conversation about women in sports and equality and pay, but we still have some way to go."

The real Trudy Ederle - who was known as The Queen of the Waves’ - died in 2003, leaving behind a long-lasting legacy, including teaching deaf children to swim after she lost her hearing.

Daisy worked with former Team GB Olympic medallist Siobhan-Marie O’Connor to get her swimming up to scratch. Credit: AP

The training process for Young Woman and the Sea was challenging and very different to that of preparing to be in a Star Wars film.

Daisy worked with former Team GB Olympic medallist Siobhan-Marie O’Connor to get her swimming up to scratch. The major filming sequences took nine days in the Black Sea. (The actual Channel is too dangerous, given that it’s an active shipping route).

After living and breathing in the water for so much time, will Daisy continue to swim in the future?

"Uh, no! I’m really proud of what I did. I have so much respect for swimmers but I was so happy not to swim anymore."

Young Woman and the Sea is out in select cinemas May 31, 2024.

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