“You Did It, Girlfriend”: New Netflix Movie’s Real-Life Subject Praises Star Who Played Her

The real-life subject of new Netflix biopic Nyad praises the swimming skills of the actress who played her. Nyad stars Annette Bening as the titular Diana Nyad, a professional swimmer who became the first woman to swim from Cuba to Florida with no shark cage. The film is co-directed by Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, and also stars Jodie Foster as Nyad’s coach.

Speaking at a panel (attended by The Hollywood Reporter), Nyad herself sings the praises of Bening. Noting that the actor rarely used stunt doubles, Nyad singles out her swimming in the movie, which she says impressed professional swimmers. Check out the full quote from Nyad below:

“She swam some days [for] eight hours a day. We professional swimmers watched her in the footage and said, ‘You can’t tell that that isn’t a professional swimmer.’ You did it, girlfriend.”

Annette Bening’s Nyad Performance Has Gotten Massive Acclaim

In portraying an athletic feat so daunting, Bening too had to show dedication in Nyad, and swimming eight hours a day exemplifies how impressive her training was for the role. Given the extremity of the movie’s core accomplishment, it is heartening that the real-life subject admired this dedication so greatly.

While it definitely means the most coming from Nyad’s real-life subject, she is not the only person to celebrate Bening’s performance. The actress has gotten copious praise for her leading role in the film. Even Nyad reviews that skew negative have acknowledged her as a decided bright spot, with SR‘s own Mae Abdulbaki characterizing her performance as “tenacious.“

Between the critical reception and Nyad’s own opinion, it is clear that Bening’s Nyad performance is a force to be reckoned with this awards season. While some critics have found the film’s narrative itself lacking, Nyad’s reviews have been mostly positive, holding an 85% on Rotten Tomatoes. With the film rated decently and both critics and the real-life subject on her side, Bening is well-positioned to turn her hours of swimming training into a potential Oscar nomination for Best Actress.