One scene in Netflix 'Nyad' Bonnie Stoll wishes actually happened during Diana Nyad's swim

While much of what we see in the Netflix movie Nyad is based on real events, starring Annette Bening as Diana Nyad, and Jodie Foster as her friend and coach Bonnie Stoll, there's one scene that didn't actually happen, but the real Stoll wishes it had.

"During the swim when Jodie dives into the water to talk to Diana, I wish I had done that. I never did," Stoll told Yahoo Canada.

Where to watch Nyad: Netflix Nov. 3
Directors: Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi
Cast: Annette Bening, Jodie Foster, Rhys Ifans, Anna Harriette Pittman
Runtime: 120 minutes

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'Casting age appropriately, it was very important to us'

Nyad filmmakers Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin take us back to 2013, when 64-year-old Nyad became the first person to swim the 110 miles (about 177 kilometres) from Havana to Key West, Florida, without the protection of a shark cage. She did it all with her friend, trainer and raquetball campion Stoll (Foster) by her side.

The film is an intimate look at this friendship during this incredibly unique, stressful and trying time, and Stoll had complete confidence in this cast and crew to tell this story with integrity.

"The cast, the directors, the producers, we had the very best," Stoll said. "I'm probably biased, [but] it was a really great, fabulous, perfect movie."

As Vasarhelyi stressed, there was a commitment to diving into a particularly authentic portrayal of both Nyad and Stoll independently, and their friendship together.

"It's rare to get an opportunity to create two very rich roles for two extraordinary actresses," Vasarhelyi said. "Casting age appropriately, it was very important to us."

"It always had to be a Annette, she's such a wonderful actor, but she's also an individual who puts in the work. The idea that she committed to over a year of training to prepare for the physical demands of the role is extraordinary. As well as, she's not afraid to play a woman in her full complexity, who may not always be likable. This was the wonderful opportunity of this story. ... It's probably one of the reasons why we took the film, because you don't get that, that often."

'Even when the world thinks they're done with you, you don't have to be done with the world'

While Vasarhelyi and Chin have created beautiful and thrilling documentaries involving extreme sports, including the films Free Solo and Meru, it was particularly interesting to see a story that's ultimately about friendship, but in the context of this extreme physical feat.

"This impulse or desire to push the boundaries is such an intrinsically human experience and I think we all know that individuals who do that kind of bring along a very interesting character journey or arc," Vasarhelyi said. "Bonnie and Diana's story was always a story about an incredible feat, but the beating heart of it is their friendship."

"I think it allows individuals who ... are not extreme athletes, who don't do these crazy things, or extreme things, to find a bit of strength, find some inspiration and understand that it's never too late to pursue your dreams. But also, even when the world thinks they're done with you, you don't have to be done with the world."

Watch NYAD on Netflix

"I think the idea of courage is a big part of what we're attracted to in the story, and the courage to dream big and to chase that dream," Chin added.

It's one of the most vulnerable things that you can do in life, is to commit to something that you're passionate about and chase it, because of that risk of failure. The courage to fail is one of the things that I think is admirable."