Seeing the finished film, says producerJerry Bruckheimer, made it all worth the effort.
It really captured an audience in the right way.DEADLINE: This film was a long time coming.
What was it about this story that spoke to you and made you so passionate about making it?
Daisy Ridley in ‘Young Woman and the Sea’Disney
This girl was forgotten.
That was what really excited me about this.
I love stories that educate and entertain, and this one not only educates you, it entertains you.
Daisy Ridley in ‘Young Woman and the Sea’Disney
And its an emotional piece.
So many screenings weve had, you see people walk out with red eyes.
And theres so much joy in the movie that makes it all worthwhile.
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DEADLINE: Joachim, what was the appeal for you?
JOACHIM RNNING:First of all, I had never heard the story.
DEADLINE: Jerry, you and Joachim had worked together in the past.
Why was he the right person to direct this?
BRUCKHEIMER:Hes such a great storyteller and thats what you want for a director.
Hes a very visual artist and we like directors who have a real strong visual style.
He understands character and works very hard.
Thats all you’re able to ask from a director.
And he was so passionate about it.
Youve got to go to directors that have this passion and want to do it at all cost.
And, look, we had to cut all kinds of corners.
We didnt make [Young Woman] for a lot of money.
We had to go to Bulgaria to do it.
But he said, Lets figure out a way to get it done.
And he hired a lot of people he hadnt worked with before, which is difficult.
We had a lot of local crew on the movie because we couldnt afford to bring people over.
And thats the kind of commitment you want from a director.
We can do all the bells and whistles, but its all about character, story and theme.
And then we want really fantastic people behind the scenes to bring that vision forward.
Like our production designer, Nora [Takacs Ekberg], was amazing.
I mean, she pulled all these amazing sets from virtually nothing.
These were people that weve not worked with before.
So you take chances.
When you say, what kind of movie do I like?
DEADLINE: Whats that challenge like as a director?
RNNING:Well, first of all, Jerry is such a filmmakers producer.
Hes always there when you need him.
I felt that, makingPirates, which was my first film in Hollywood.
So, its fun making movies with him.
DEADLINE: Daisy Ridley is obviously number one on that list.
How did she rise to the occasion?
RNNING:It was very important for me to shoot this movie out on the ocean.
I said to everybody involved that I want this to be as real as possible.
And I remember telling Daisy and she said, Yeah, fantastic, lets do it.
Not many people could do what she did.
At the end of the day, it also informed us.
We got a glimpse into how it must have been for Trudy a hundred years ago.
DEADLINE: How do you take care of your actor in that situation?
How does that work in practice?
RNNING:Well, I tried to save her as much as possible from getting in the water.
Basically, the style that Trudy was swimming in, which is also trailblazing, was the first bikini.
Obviously when shes swimming, shes face down in the water and its hard to see her face.
Somehow I felt like she was channeling Trudy out there.
So I ended up using her for every shot.
DEADLINE: What were some of the unforeseen, maybe less fun challenges of making this?
BRUCKHEIMER:Getting it made was, for me, the biggest challenge.
This went on for years, through about three studios, to finally get made.
It was really a challenge.
We have to hand it to Joachim who stuck with us through thick and thin.
That was our challenge.
Sometimes its harder getting the small ones made than the big ones.
DEADLINE: Isnt it always harder to get the small ones made?
BRUCKHEIMER:It really is.
And this is the highest testing movie Ive ever made and Ive made some pretty big hits.
But this one, it just really captured an audience in the right way.
They just loved the character and the emotional experience they went through.
Joachims superb direction was a big part of it.
And Jeff Nathanson wrote a fantastic screenplay.
He sent it over to us, we loved it and he just jumped into it.
DEADLINE: This film hits at a time where the plight of immigrants and women are extremely topical.
Do you feel like this film is now more relevant than ever?
Heres what I believe: Unless you know history, youre doomed to repeat it.
This was her struggle, to say, Were strong, were tough.
We can take on the world and do something that you think we never can do.
DEADLINE: In terms of production challenges, what was the hardest thing to overcome?
BRUCKHEIMER:Its always the weather, especially when youre shooting outdoors.
And thats what Joachim did.
He had to struggle with Mother Nature.
DEADLINE: What was that struggle like?
RNNING:Any endeavor that has a lot of ambitious people involved is always going to be challenging.
And then the sun goes away, and youre rotating because you want the sun behind the actors.
Youre very grateful for that feeling of accomplishment, that we did something very special today.
Its chaotic and beautiful at the same time.
