For most acting stars, learning horse riding, fencing or a new accent for a movie role is probably as difficult as it gets.
But actress Kirsten Callaghan, who played the first British woman to swim the English Channel, was left traumatized after having to learn to swim long distances in freezing water to combat seasickness, seaweed and eel.
The newcomer, 32, underwent three months of grueling endurance training at Brighton Pier and pushed her body to the limits to play Mercedes Gleitze in upcoming film Vindication Swim.
She spent the next two years shooting in the icy waters of East Sussex, without a body double or camera trickery, the physicality of which she found ‘tough’.
Ms Callaghan, educated at Rose Bruford College, was a relative unknown with a string of theater credits to her name when she was cast as Mrs Gleitze, who made history in 1927 when her eighth attempt to swim the Channel finally paid off.
Kirsten Callaghan, who plays the first British woman to swim the English Channel, was left traumatized after having to learn to swim long distances in freezing water to combat seasickness, seaweed and eel. Ms Callaghan is pictured in a photocall for Vindication Swim
Ms Callaghan, 32, underwent three months of grueling endurance training from Brighton Pier and pushed her body to its limits to play Mercedes Gleitze (pictured) in the upcoming film Vindication Swim
In his search for authenticity, writer and director Elliott Hasler tried to cast an actress who bore a resemblance to Ms. Gleitze, was born in Brighton as she was and was already a strong swimmer.
Mrs Callaghan – who lives in Hove with her French bulldog Reuben – fit right in and later became a producer on the film alongside Ronnie Wood’s wife Sally, as well as writing the theme song.
“It was tough, I had severe cramps on the very cold days, and there was a moment when I was almost pulled down by a huge pile of seaweed two miles away,” she said.
‘The skippers became seriously seasick and when I found it difficult, I said to myself: ‘What would Mercedes do?’ and it would always be, ‘She would carry on,’ because she was so calm and so pragmatic.”
“Even though I am clearly traumatized by the cold, cramps and seasickness (thanks Mercedes), I am endlessly grateful to have played such a special woman,” the actress wrote on her Instagram account.
Despite being a strong swimmer, Ms Callaghan soon realized that open water swimming was a completely different beast and forced herself to endure cold showers to prepare.
‘I have always been a strong swimmer but open water swimming was a new challenge for me and I took cold showers to adapt to the low temperatures,’ she told Sussex Life.
Ms Callaghan, pictured at last week’s Vindication Swim premiere, spent the next two years shooting in the icy waters of East Sussex, without a body double or camera trickery, the physicality of which she found ‘difficult’.
Victoria Summer (left) and Kirsten Callaghan (right) filming Vindication Swim on April 7, 2021 in Brighton. Ms Callaghan, who stars opposite Ms Summer as her rival, said she enjoyed being in a period play that did not involve a love story with a man.
Victoria Summer and David Aitchison filming scenes for Vindication Swim on the beach in Brighton on April 6, 2021
‘My swimming coach worked on my technique in the pool and then we swam around Brighton Palace Pier to build up my endurance, which allowed me to swim in front of the camera for long periods of time.’
She added: ‘During filming I experienced extreme weather changes, sea life and freezing temperatures.
“There have been a few moments where I’ve had painful cramps and the dreaded claw – when your hands involuntarily curl inward from the cold – but that’s all part of the process.”
The film, out this Friday, tells the thrilling story of the forgotten sporting heroine’s record-breaking dive, which saw her emerge barely conscious from the waters of St Margaret’s Bay, near Dover, on October 8, 1927.
The young typist, who was only 27 at the time, had accompanied only one rowboat for the trip and was almost run over by a steamboat while swimming.
But the real drama began when another woman, Dorothy Cochrane Logan, emerged four days later and claimed to have completed the swim first.
Although it was later revealed that she was a hoaxer, Ms Gleitze’s victory was undermined by the claim and she embarked on a ‘justification dive’ to prove herself.
The water was too cold for her to complete the swim, but she convinced her doubters that her original record should stand and she became a national celebrity.
A committed philanthropist who donated much of her earnings to a homeless shelter, she died in relative obscurity after distancing herself from her achievements.
Sally Wood, Victoria Summer, Kirsten Callaghan and Ronnie Wood at the Vindication Swim film premiere in London last week
“I spent a lot of time with her, but she never talked to me about swimming,” said her grandson Andrew Pember.
‘She never talked to me about swimming at all, in fact, she lied to the neighbors she lived with about the fact that she could swim.’
He added: ‘It was laughable because it was clear who she was, but she denied who she was because she didn’t want that life anymore.’
Ms Callaghan, who stars opposite Victoria Summer as her rival, said she enjoyed starring in a period piece that did not involve a love story with a man.
“Usually in a period drama there is a love story about a man, but in Vindication Swim the love story is between Glietze and the sea,” she said.