Senior Planet talks to…Annette Bening

At 65 years old, Annette Bening refuses to let age defy her.  That drives her portrayal (rumored to earn her an Oscar nomination) of long distance swimmer Diana Nyad, who, at 64, became the first person to swim unassisted from Cuba to Florida- rumored to be a . Married 31 years to Hollywood legend Warren Beatty, with whom she has four adult children, Bening’s empty nest afforded her the time to train like a true champion for her role in Nyad. SENIOR PLANET talks to the four-time Oscar nominee:

Q: What inspired you about Diana Nyad?

BENING: What’s so cool about Diana is that she decided to do this when she was 60 which is really weird and unusual. And she also says that she couldn’t have done it in her 20s because she didn’t have the mind that she has now. I find that truly inspiring.

Q: The film is based on Nyad’s 2016 book, Find a Way. What can we learn from her?

BENING: It’s a metaphor that we all need, be it solving a particular problem or improving our relationships with our kids or parents or partners. You’re always trying to find a way to get there. And many of us say, ‘Oh, maybe I could?’ And mostly we just don’t do the thing that we’re thinking about doing. We procrastinate and there’s so many reasons not to do it, whatever it is. But, in this case, Diana told herself: No, I have to find a way.

Q: Was it scary to take on the physical challenge of portraying such a powerful swimmer?

BENING: I think a lot of us love a challenge. Like we want that – a lot of us do in life, and I do creatively. And when I read the script, I was just like, oh my god, this is sooo good. I loved it immediately and said: Yes! And, I swear to God, I didn’t really think about the swimming at all! I know it sounds ridiculous but I had such a strong reaction and just knew it was such a great story.

Q: Did you have any second thoughts once you got in the water?

BENING: I had been a diver when I was a kid, and was in the ocean a lot. I grew up in San Diego, I worked on a boat – so being in the ocean isn’t intimidating. But I didn’t really realize what the swimming would be. And so I had to build myself up – not just physically, but emotionally too.

Q: Have you always been athletic?

BENING: Yes, like, I blew my hip out in my 50s. I mean, I did yoga, running… my whole life because that’s how I’ve been able to calm my mind from when I was 20 years old. And working in the craft that I do, it’s always been necessary to do something physical.

Q: Do you still swim today or did you stop after all the intense training?

BENING: Actually, I still swim every day for three hours. I’m so addicted to it that if I don’t do it, I need to like scream in a pillow! I’ve actually become a better swimmer today than when I was making the film. So now I rarely miss my daily swim just because it always makes me feel better.

Q: What are the benefits of swimming?

BENING: It’s so good for arthritis. It’s also great for sleep. I’ve always struggled with being a good sleeper – but it really helps you sleep. Remember when you were a little kid and you’re in the water and then you get out and you’re so tired? So it’s the same thing. But it’s a good tired, like a deep fatigue.

Q: And this is your first time working with Jodie Foster – in the role of Bonnie Stoll, Nyad’s best friend and swim coach?

BENING: We didn’t know each other before. She came over and had all these notes and ideas because she’s kind of a genius. She’s also a director and a writer, and has been in the business her entire life. She’s the most pragmatic film person you can imagine. She really knows her shit.

Get a glimpse of Bening and Foster in this trailer.

Q: Who are your role models in life?

BENING: My parents for sure. One thing I find myself thinking a lot about recently, is to believe that your own life matters enough. My dad passed away two months ago. He was 97 and big into the power of positive thinking and read books like Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends & Influence People. And he had these little 3 x 5 cards that he carried around, and I was looking through them after he died, and one of them was about how, in risk, is freedom. If you risk everything, then you’re going to start to find some freedom. Well, what is the worst that can happen? If I do X, whatever that is? And in some cases, like with the swim, some other physical things, it’s dying – that would be the worst outcome. And that for some people, in order to feel that sense of self and purpose, it’s very hard. Because we don’t think enough of ourselves to say, well, I’m going to do the thing, whatever the thing is, and it doesn’t have to be climbing a mountain or swimming like Diana did, it can be something much more simple. It can be having a relationship, or overcoming an illness, or an inner journey. I think that is a very powerful idea.

Q: And your mother is a big influence in your life too?

BENING:  Yes, my mom is 94 and an amazing person. And so I aspire to be where my mother is – which is serene. She goes on her computer in the morning and does her crossword puzzles and reads. She enjoys bridge with her friends. She basically doesn’t leave her house. She takes a rest in the afternoon and has a cocktail in the evening. That, to me, is remarkable in that she is able to just be in serenity and gratitude towards all of us. I think we’re all trying to find a way to deal with what we have and, in every stage of life, there’s all these changes and adjustments that have to be made and acceptance. And she’s done that in a way that’s remarkable. So I aspire to that.

Q: Aside from the physical aspects, what were the most challenging emotional scenes?

BENING: Diana was sexually abused by her swim coach all through high school so this was the part of the story that we felt was incredibly delicate and important to get right because this is a very common thing in women’s sports, whether it’s tennis or swimming or gymnastics, or whatever. A lot of girls are taken advantage of by their coaches for obvious reasons. We wanted that to be in the story but we didn’t want to oversimplify it. So there’s a moment when Diana does talk about that in the movie and we tried to touch on the complexities of what that experience is like for people who go through that as kids.

Q: What can audiences learn from seeing Diana and Bonnie’s friendship?

BENING: It’s so important to see their friendship through all of this – and a lot of women that I know also feel this incredible friendship. Jodie and I have become friends. And it’s also how we keep going in life – is our friends. Yes, we have our partners; we have our kids; we have our loved ones but there’s something about friendship that is so powerful. The story of Diana and Bonnie is the perfect way to dramatize why people need each other – why we need, how we need each other, and what it is we do for each other.

Q: What’s your secret to aging with attitude?

BENING: Honestly, it’s the swimming. It gives you energy for sure. And I know on days when I don’t sleep as well – and we all have those nights when you wake up and can’t get back to sleep. But, if I swim, I always find myself back in an equal equilibrium. It takes effort some days but, for me, I just know it’s such great exercise and also good for the brain. Also – like I’m 65 now and my husband is 86 – so I always feel like a kid!

Gill Pringle began her career as a rock columnist for popular British newspapers, traveling the world with Madonna, U2 and Michael Jackson. Moving to Los Angeles 27 years ago, she interviews film and TV personalities for prestigious UK outlets, The Independent, The i-paper and The Sunday Times – and, of course, Senior Planet. A member of Critics Choice Association, BAFTA and AWFJ, she wrote the screenplay for 2016 Netflix family film, The 3 Tails Movie: A Mermaid Adventure. An award-winning writer, in 2021 she was honored by the Los Angeles Press Club with 1st prize at the NAEJ Awards.

Photo: Annette Bening as Diana Nyad 

Photo Credit: Kimberley French/Netflix, Copyright