Playing Diana will be Annette Benning and playing her longtime best friend, training partner and expedition coach Bonnie Stoll will be Jodie Foster. Bonnie helped Diana train, prepare and execute the dangerous endeavor, her fifth try at the record-breaking swim.
Now, I don’t know if Bonnie is gay. All I have is the official bio which said she was a top-ranked professional racquetball player (where she apparently met Diana, who was a top-ranked squash player), she earned a degree in physical education and went on to teach PE. But I do know that Jodie is gay, and that Annette has successfully played gay (I still think “The Kids Are All Right” is a very good movie). So, just in case the bonafides were in question, they shouldn’t be. Granted, I don’t know how well either swims, but you know.
This project is exciting for a number of reasons. One, Jodie. Two, Annette. Three, at least one confirmed queer character. Four, the feature film debut of “Free Solo” documentary team Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin who are helming the project. Five, I mentioned there should be gay stuff, right?
It’s also refreshing to see a film centered on women above the age of 50, that isn’t about their decline in attractiveness, sex appeal, et al. Instead we’re guaranteed to see women in their 60s (Annette is 63) and 50s (Jodie is 59) doing amazing things in their swimsuits. I call that a win. And, uh, I mentioned the gay stuff, right?
