Daisy Ridley is the Young Woman and the Sea

Daisy Ridley gained international fame with the new Star Wars trilogy, in which she played Rey. Since then, the world has come to appreciate her as a versatile and reserved actress, who has preferred smaller productions and more nuanced, quiet roles over the overwhelming success of the franchise. The latest? The lead role in Young Woman and the Sea, a biographical film available on Disney+ from July 19.

Daisy Ridley as  the Young Woman and the Sea, based on a true story

The film tells the story of Trudy Ederle, the first woman to swim across the English Channel, covering a total of 21 miles. It was released in U.S. theaters on May 31, 2024, and now we can finally watch it too. It is directed by Joachim Rønning, written by Jeff Nathanson, and based on the book Young Woman and the Sea: How Trudy Ederle Conquered the English Channel and Inspired the World by Glenn Stout. Alongside Daisy Ridley, the cast also includes Tilda Cobham-Hervey, Stephen Graham, Kim Bodnia, Christopher Eccleston, and Glenn Fleshler.

A feminist story to inspire

What could be better, on these summer evenings, than being inspired by a story about women? Trudy Ederle was born in New York to immigrant parents in 1905, and - thanks to the support of her older sister and the coaches who accompanied and encouraged her over the years - managed to overcome the hostility of a patriarchal society to climb the ranks of the Olympic swimming team and accomplish her astonishing feat. Just in time for the Paris 2024 Olympics.