‘No surprise’: Robert Aramayo’s teachers knew Bafta winner was destined for great things

Awarded best actor and rising star for role as man with Tourette syndrome in I Swear the 33-year-old was ‘mesmerising’ even when learning his craft in Hull What is Tourette syndrome, what are tics and what happened at the Baftas? Standing on stage, barely holding back tears and struggling to express his startled elation at being named best actor at last night’s Bafta awards in London, the first words to leave Robert Aramayo’s mouth were “wow”. His next few words, chosen after a brief and only half successful attempt to compose himself, were “I absolutely can’t believe this.” And how could he. Aramayo, 33, had not only unexpectedly beaten the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio and Timothée Chalamet to capture his grand prize , but had also collected the rising star award earlier in the evening, becoming the first actor or actress in history to win both awards on the same night. It was, in his own words, unbelievable. Continue reading... from Film | The Guardian https://ift.tt/9NGc2rd ...

Making a movie about 64-year-old Diana Nyad’s 110-mile swim: ‘She wasn’t bothered about sharks. The box jellyfish we didn’t know about’

A new drama charts the endurance athlete’s attempts to swim from Havana to Florida, accompanied by former girlfriend Bonnie Stoll and assorted marine predators. It’s a story of friendship, survival – and sharp elbows

In 1978, Diana Nyad, then 29, decided to swim from Havana to Key West, Florida. Like everything else this endurance athlete does, she made the challenge seem like no biggie: a natural progression, even, for someone whose surname is derived from the word “naiad” (water nymph) and who has been accused of having a “superiority complex”. At about 110 miles, the journey would dwarf her previous accomplishments, such as circling the island of Manhattan in just under eight hours. But it wasn’t to be. Violent storms put paid to her attempt after she had covered nearly 80 miles in 42 hours and been blown far off course.

Nevertheless, the Havana-to-Florida dream endured. As her 60th birthday loomed, and with three decades behind her as a sports broadcaster, Nyad set out to have another crack at it. Unlike the previous time, she would not be swimming inside a shark cage; instead, there would be shark divers and electronic “shark shields” to deter any Jaws wannabes in the vicinity. And there was another weapon, every bit as vital to her success: Nyad’s devoted, tough-cookie BFF Bonnie Stoll, whom she enlisted as her coach. Stoll watched over her from the accompanying boat throughout the various abortive attempts during which Nyad was thwarted by bad weather, deadly box jellyfish and a severe asthma attack. Her eventual triumph came in 2013 at the age of 64.

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