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Bonnie Stoll is not a woman who’s easy to fool – but Jodie Foster pulled it off.

The Oscar winning actress plays the former racquetball champion in Nyad, the story of endurance-swimmer Diana Nyad who aged 60 decided to re-attempt the punishing 110-mile swim from Cuba to Florida which eluded her in her youth.

NYAD. (L-R) Jodie Foster as Bonnie Stoll and Annette Bening as Diana Nyad in NYAD. Cr. Kimberley French/Netflix ..2023
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(L-R) Foster and Annette Bening. Pic: Kimberley French/Netflix

Stoll, who was both Nyad’s best friend and professional trainer, tells Sky News: “The first time I saw [the film], I definitely thought it was me…

“It’s surreal and unbelievable and a real tribute to this actor. I mean, she did it. It surprises me almost every time I see the movie and I see it quite a bit. I think it’s me up there.”

Foster, 60, is reported to have completely immersed herself in Stoll’s way of life: training, nutrition, supplements, workouts, everything.

Quickly noting Stoll’s “salt of the earth quality,” she described her as “the kind of person you’d want to be in a storm with”. Which is lucky, because the movie has several storms to get through.

Annette Bening too – who plays Nyad in the film – trained for over a year to get into peak physical condition for the role, which of course demanded prolonged stretches of swimming.

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World class actors, meeting a world class athletes and making a movie together. It’s a recipe that Netflix will be hoping might be a hit with the critics.

The movie re-creates some of the most challenging moments of the real-life crossing, which was completed without the use of a shark-cage, despite the risk of predator infested waters.

NYAD. Annette Bening as Diana Nyad in NYAD. Cr. Liz Parkinson/Netflix ..2023
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Bening trained for the role for over a year. Pic: Kimberley French/Netflix

But it was not sharks that turned out to be the biggest problem.

Stoll explained the biggest threat to their success came from deadly box jellyfish.

“We did not expect them. We had no idea they were already in the Gulf. But it was not a pleasant surprise… It was kind of a nightmare.”

She explains how Dr Angel Yanagihara, a bio-medical researcher considered to be one of the world’s pre-eminent experts in box jellyfish, helped them overcome the potentially fatal sticking point by helping design a mask.

However, that came at a cost.

“Diana was getting prosthetic for her face, the mask, so the box couldn’t get in. And then we heard about a box getting into someone’s mouth and they swallowed it. And that was not a good result.

“The swimming in that mask was a nightmare, for me especially. I can’t even look at it. It’s claustrophobic.”

NYAD. (L-R) Karly Rothenberg as Dee, director Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Annette Bening as Diana Nyad, Jodie Foster as Bonnie Stoll, Diana Nyad, Bonnie Stoll, Rhys Ifans as John Bartlett and director Jimmy Chin on the set of NYAD. Cr. Kimberley French/Netflix ..2023
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Bening and Foster pictured on set alongside their real-life characters. Pic: Kimberley French/Netflix

The film’s director, Chai Vasarhelyi says they replicated everything Diana wore down to the last detail: “It was that authentic. The same suit that Diana wore, the same goggles, everything”.

And while they had two silicone face masks made for Bening to wear, Vasarhelyi admitted: “It was so painful we cut out the mouthpiece”.

It’s a move Stoll approved of, echoing: “Good, good”.

Vasarhelyi worked with her husband, professional climber, skier, filmmaker and photographer Jimmy Chin on the film, and the couple have two young children together.

She explained: “It was a really good way of keeping the family together all in one spot and who knew that you can grow in your forties? That you can grow after 12 years of marriage?”

The couple’s past films together include The Rescue (the rescue of 12 boys and their coach from a flooded cave in Northern Thailand) and Free Solo (an Oscar-winning portrait of rock climber Alex Honnold).

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Vasarhelyi summed up their unique area of interest as, “stories about humans who push the possibility”.

And proving that working with your partner isn’t necessarily the recipe for disaster that many might assume, she joked: “We were such old news, you know, me and him. But suddenly, like, we just got stronger. We got better. We saw what each other does even more clearly. And the kids had a great time.”

She added: “It ultimately caused some real deep changes afterwards about how we went, the way we work together.”

It seems the Nyad magic – that propelled the film’s real-life protagonist to wake up one day aged 60 and decide she wasn’t done – has rubbed off on its director.

And that is just the sparkle Netflix will be hoping makes its way into voters’ hearts come awards season.

Nyad is streaming now on Netflix.

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Taylor Swift announces 12th studio album

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Taylor Swift announces 12th studio album

Taylor Swift has announced her 12th studio album during an appearance on her boyfriend Travis Kelce’s podcast.

The pop megastar, appearing on New Heights, did not say when the record, titled The Life Of A Showgirl, will be released.

Fans can pre-order the album in various formats now and Swift’s website says physical copies will be shipped by 13 October.

Pic: New Heights
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Pic: New Heights

On Monday, Taylor Nation – an official branch of the singer’s marketing team – teased the release on TikTok with a slideshow of 12 images alongside the caption: “Thinking about when she said ‘See you next era…'”

Swift is seen wearing orange in every picture.

A special limited vinyl edition of the album will be released in “Portofino orange glitter”, according to a pre-order page on her site. A special cassette edition is also available for pre-order.

Taylor Swift's website features The Life of a Showgirl pre-order options. Pic: Reuters
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Taylor Swift’s website features The Life of a Showgirl pre-order options. Pic: Reuters

A brief clip from the New Heights podcast, hosted by Swift’s NFL star boyfriend, Travis Kelce and his brother Jason, a former NFL player, was posted on Instagram early on Tuesday.

The video showed Swift pulling a copy of the album from a briefcase with the cover blurred.

The full podcast episode will be released at 11pm on Tuesday, UK time.

Swift is living up to her reputation as pop’s hardest-working star


Gemma Peplow

Gemma Peplow

Culture and entertainment reporter

@gemmapeplow

You might think that after pulling off the highest-grossing tour in history, all while writing and releasing an unexpected record-breaking double album at the same time, Taylor Swift would be happy to take a little break.

But no. The singer-songwriter has announced her 12th album, her sixth in six years.

Since her self-titled debut in 2006, the longest period Swifties have had to wait is just three years, between 2014’s 1989 and 2017’s Reputation; the period in which the star took time out following her public feud with Kim Kardashian and Kanye West.

Over the past few years, Swift has also re-recorded and re-released four of her early albums in a (now resolved) battle over the rights to her master recordings.

With the new announcement, she’s living up to her reputation as the hardest-working star in pop.

Album number 12 is titled The Life Of A Showgirl, hinting at inspiration drawn from spending the best part of two years on the road – and perhaps a return to pop after embracing folk and her more gothic side.

Fans are now eagerly waiting to find out what Swift’s new era will bring.

New Heights had previously teased Swift’s appearance by posting an orange image on social media with a mysterious silhouette, which many correctly identified as the pop star.

The Life Of A Showgirl follows Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department, released last year during her record-breaking Eras tour, which generated more than $2.2bn (£1.6bn) across two years and five continents, making it the highest-grossing tour of all time.

Read more about Taylor Swift:
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The impact of the ‘excruciating’ Era’s tour
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It marks her first release since she took back control over her entire back catalogue from private equity firm Shamrock Capital for an undisclosed amount.

In an effort to regain control over her music in recent years, Swift has been re-recording and releasing her first six albums. The move was prompted by Hybe America CEO Scooter Braun’s purchase and sale of her early catalogue.

Some of the ‘Taylor’s Version’ releases have included new songs as well as Easter eggs and visuals to offer a deeper understanding of her work.

The four re-recorded albums released so far have been massive commercial and cultural successes, each one entering the Billboard 200 US album chart at number one, helping her become the woman with the most number one albums in history.

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Harry and Meghan extend Netflix partnership – but it’s no longer exclusive

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Harry and Meghan extend Netflix partnership - but it's no longer exclusive

Harry and Meghan have signed a new “multi-year, first-look deal” with Netflix, following the deal they struck with the streaming giant five years ago.

Described by the Sussexes as “extending their creative partnership”, while the news quashes rumours the relationship might not be renewed, it would appear to be a less prestigious deal than their first.

With Love, Meghan, has a second season out later this month. Pic: Jake Rosenberg/Netflix
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With Love, Meghan, has a second season out later this month. Pic: Jake Rosenberg/Netflix

As a “first-look deal” rather than an overall deal, the entertainment giant will be able to say yes or no to their content before anyone else, but they will not be under an obligation to stream it.

Several US outlets have suggested it is a downgrade from the Sussexes’ previous contract, which saw the streaming giant pay for exclusive rights for the content and was thought to be worth more than $100m (£74m).

British PR expert Mark Borkowski described the deal as a “downgrade” and suggested Netflix was “pivoting away” from Harry and Meghan.

Read more: Some call the deal a demotion – but the company still sees them as a power couple

Harry and Meghan set up their media company, Archewell Productions, after quitting as senior working royals in 2020.

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Their partnership with Netflix had promised documentaries, docuseries, feature films, scripted shows and children’s television, but has so far only delivered documentaries and docuseries.

These include Harry & Meghan, a six-part series about their departure from the royal household, which is Netflix’s fifth most popular series of all time, and most recently, the lifestyle show With Love, Meghan, which is the streamer’s most-watched culinary show since its release earlier this year.

Speaking about the new deal, Meghan said: “We’re proud to extend our partnership with Netflix and expand our work together to include the As ever brand.”

As ever is Meghan’s lifestyle brand, launched in 2024, and rebranded this year, selling products including jams, shortbread and wine.

Meghan went on: “My husband and I feel inspired by our partners who work closely with us and our Archewell Productions team to create thoughtful content across genres that resonates globally and celebrates our shared vision.”

(R-L) Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Mindy Kaling. Pic: Netflix
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(R-L) Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Mindy Kaling. Pic: Netflix

Netflix’s chief content officer Bela Bajaria called the Sussexes “influential voices” and said their stories “resonate with audiences everywhere”.

New output includes the second season of With Love Meghan later this month, and a Christmas special in December.

Archewell Productions is also working on a documentary about orphaned children in Uganda’s Masaka region, an area heavily hit by the HIV/AIDS crisis, titled Masaka Kids, A Rhythm Within, and is developing a feature adaptation of the bestselling romantic novel by Carley Fortune, Meet Me At The Lake.

It comes as Harry has cut ties with his Sentebale charity but has said he still intends to do what he can to help young people in Lesotho, Botswana and Southern Africa.

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Some call the Sussexes’ Netflix deal a demotion – but the company still sees them as a power couple

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Some call the Sussexes' Netflix deal a demotion - but the company still sees them as a power couple

While we’re all desperate to know what this new deal is really worth in dollars and pounds, one thing I can tell you for certain is that Prince Harry and Meghan want us to know they’re delighted that Netflix again wanted to get a deal done.

“Absolutely over the moon” is how it was described to me.

But they’ll also be aware of the attention it’ll attract as we all try to pick apart what it means.

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex. Pic: Jake Rosenberg/Netflix
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Meghan, Duchess of Sussex. Pic: Jake Rosenberg/Netflix

Firstly because of that ongoing fascination in how they’re making money since stepping away from royal life and losing financial support from the King, but also because of the recent reports that Netflix were intending to cut ties.

Yes this is a different type of deal from their original one in 2020. Some have argued that a “first look deal” looks like a demotion from what they previously signed up to.

With no real clarity on how much their original deal was worth, and no numbers being publicly thrown around this time, that is hard to judge.

But talking to those who know something about these kinds of deals you do get a sense it could potentially be more lucrative than it looks on face value.

More on Meghan Markle

With first look deals, yes there is often financial commitments from the likes of Netflix to get that first exclusive look at projects and first refusal.

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Harry claims: War of words continues

But there could be other significant monetary incentives for the Sussexes to sign.

For example, when the Obamas signed a first look deal with Netflix, the streaming service agreed to pay the operational costs for their production company “Higher Ground”.

Could it be that Netflix are also now covering the costs of Archewell Productions?

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It’s stating the obvious to say that Harry and Meghan continue to divide opinions, some wanting to watch their programmes from a place of respect and fondness, others as a reason to grumble about them.

But signing on this latest dotted line shows Netflix still sees them as a power couple, who attract significant attention and are worthy of investment, whatever that really adds up to.

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