Daisy Ridley makes waves with new film, 'Young Woman and the Sea'

HOLLYWOOD -- Daisy Ridley is ready to make a splash in cinemas across the country with her new film, "Young Woman and the Sea."

The movie tells the true story of Trudy Ederle, the first woman to swim 21 miles across the English Channel in 1926. It takes place at a time where women were not encouraged to take on a sport that was dominated by men. Ederle, by the way, beat the men's record by two hours. It's a huge feat, but her incredible story has stayed mainly under the radar.

"Certain people get lost in time and I think Trudy Ederle got lost in time. Nobody's ever heard of her until this movie comes out," producer Jerry Bruckheimer told On The Red Carpet at the movie's Hollywood premiere. "You've never heard of her, now you will."

Taking on the role of a swimmer was a daunting task for Ridley.

"I mean swimming is such a different sport, it was literally like learning a new skill I couldn't do previously, " Ridley said.

"I don't like the open water and we were plunked in the middle of the sea, you couldn't see any land, the safety boats would leave and I would be next to the big prop boat that's in the film trying to keep pace. Overwhelming, but I did it!"

"I hope people have a deep understanding of her (Trudy) as a person and the incredible achievement that she made and what that represented for women everywhere," said Tilda Cobham-Hervey, who plays Trudy's sister Meg. "She had an idea to do something that no woman had ever done, that it wasn't sort of ok to even dream to do."

Director and executive producer Joachim Rønning sang the praises of his lead actress.

"I think Daisy Ridley is a force of nature, at least she can play that. And obviously this was a very physical role as well so it demanded a lot of dedication on her part but she was amazing," Rønning explained.

Ridley says the swimming was one part, but another huge aspect of the role that intrigued her was the family dynamic.

"It was really wonderful and the physicality was a big part of it, but also playing someone that has a lot of joy is wonderful. And the love between Trudy and Meg, I was so thrilled to be able to show a sisterly, wonderful bond on screen," Ridley said.

This film actually scored higher with test audiences than any other film that Jerry Bruckheimer has made. Quite a feat, considering some of the films on his resume: "Top Gun," "Pirates of the Caribbean," "Remember the Titans" and "Beverly Hills Cop."

But as he told On The Red Carpet, stories like this are why he makes movies to begin with!

"You want to transport them, you want to inspire them. This movie shows it all, it shows women empowerment but men love it too. So it's got everything great entertainment is and why people go to the cinema."

"Young Woman and the Sea" is in select theaters May 31.

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