Annette Bening reveals what playing iconic swimmer Diana Nyad taught her about aging

Annette Bening never thought she would play a marathon swimmer — in her 60s, no less — but when she had the chance to play Diana Nyad, she didn’t think twice.

“I knew I had to play it. I knew this was an opportunity like no other. And it really proved to be that,” the actor, 65, told Hoda Kotb on TODAY Thursday.

In her new movie, “Nyad,” Bening portrays long-distance swimmer Diana Nyad, who is known for swimming 110 miles from Cuba to Florida in jellyfish- and shark-infested waters at the age of 64, after several failed attempts.

Bening, who was 62 when she began preparing for the role, underwent rigorous training to prepare for the role.

While she admitted she was “quite nervous” as she started, she also embraced the physical and mental challenges of the role.

“I knew that it was a chance to maybe strip away some layers and dive into something, no pun intended, that was brand new for me. And the physical challenge was a gift,” she said.

Bening was coached by a former Olympic swimmer, Rada Owen, who prepared her for the mental as well as physical challenges of marathon swimming.

“An Olympic athlete herself, she knows what it takes, and she also knows the mindset,” Bening said. “And what kills me about Diana is that she says, ‘Look, I tried to do this swim in my 20s and I failed.’ So when she reaches 60, she’s at a turning point. She’s been a broadcaster, she’s written books, she’s a really erudite, interesting, worldly person. And she says, ‘OK, I have to do this now.’”

Bening also said that playing Nyad reminded her of the importance of taking risks as you get older.

“You want a new challenge. You might be in your 60s or even older — I mean, my mom is 94, she still gets down and reads and she’s got the crossword puzzle going — you need something new,” she said.

“I underestimated, quite frankly, what (training for ‘Nyad’) was going to mean,” she added. “But then once I got over that ... I got into, OK, just do it, just train, believe you can do it.”

This article was originally published on TODAY.com