award for her latest project, diving into the role of diana nyad who purported to be the first personer 100 miles from cuba to florida's coast. she sat down with "nightline" coanchor juju chang. >> annette >> thank you. >> juju: we know you from "the grifters" to "american beauty" to "the kids are all right." i know you spent your teens in san diego working on a boat, actually scuba diving. tell us about being drawn to acting and how spending time in the water might have helped you in this role. >> that was lucky, wasn't it? i never anticipated playing a marathon swim letter are as a kid i worked on a scuba diving boat and got certified. part of the certification is jump off a boat, do an ocean dive. so we went out on this boat, then subsequently i got a job on the boat. so i cooked on the boat for a year. and so i did spend a lot of time in the water. that was definitely helpful. i love being in the water, but i'd never been a trained swimmer. >> juju: you spent a lot of time on stage before breaking through in movies. before we dive deeper, let's take a quick look at a clip from the

and the latest, she takes on a formidable woman, the famed long distance swimmer diana nyad.effrey brown has a look for our arts and culture series. >> 100 miles. 60 hours of constant swimming. >> at age 60, diana nyad, played by annette ending, decided to attempt what she was unable to achieve in her 20's. swim from cuba to florida. >> imagine knowing in your bones you could do something only you could do. >> she navigated more than 100 miles through waters infested by sharks and venomous jellyfish. this time without a protective cage. she would fail and fail again. before finally accomplishing her dream in 2013 at age 64. swimming for just under 53 hours. accepting the role was irresistible for banning. only then did reality hit. >> i did not really think about it. that is a good think. that is how you end up plunging into things that are shocking, new, and different. you learn, grow, have a new challenge. i don't regret it at all. but i did pause and said wait a minute, i'm in a bathing suit and swimming, i'm 60 -- whatever i was at the time, can i do this? how is that goi

so she is playing diana nyad.an historic challenge. she had to train for that role it was no small feat we're going to sit down with miss bening in just a moment >> very cool >>> then cookbook author dawn russell is here with some healthy soups and stews to help fuel your family in the cold weather. we have a nice cake. >> i'm in such a soup mood it's such a soupy time of year yes. >>> speaking of chefs we love, guys, get ready. wolfgang puck will be here tomorrow yes! and i love this. it's not some fancy food he's make sliders for today food loves football yeah >> i can't wait for that mr. roker, before we do anything else, how about one more check of the weather >> i want to introduce, this couple was here. hold on a second so, what's your name >> amanda. >> brian >> and you guys were here how many years ago, after you got engaged? >> 16 years ago. >> and you brought a couple of souvenirs. >> some souvenirs. yes. >> what's your name? grace. >> and >> nora. >> well, thanks for coming back! we appreciate that >> l

i happen to know diana nyad. >> bonnie too? >> jimmy: bonnie too.y lovely, very interesting, fun, funny people. >> really quite a pair? you present -- it occurred to me you've been going to these award shows -- >> yes. >> jimmy: how old were you at the first one? >> i did the oscars when i was 8 or 9. i sang at the oscars. >> jimmy: you did, what did you sing? >> i don't -- some awful song. [ laughter ] from an animated movie. and they made me wear, like, bright orange, vinyl shoes, and i was just mortified. i couldn't believe i had to wear these orange shoes. a ptsd moment. >> jimmy: after raising children, do you ever think about that? a the 8 or 9? you go to a kids recital, it's a big deal, they're nervous. you're singing on the oscars. >> yeah. i didn't think about that. "what are you doing? get a job! what's the matter with you?" it's a summer vacation thing. >> jimmy: how old were you the firsters time you were nominated for an oscar? >> i was -- i had done the movie at 12, i was 13. >> jimmy: 13 years old, "taxi driver," right? >> "taxi drive

> jimmy: congratulations on all the nominations and what a a story that is. >> yeah, amazing i love dianaamazing duo. >> jimmy: you and annette bening, it was perfect it was great congrats all that. >> yeah, it was fun. >> jimmy: the critic's choice, when that was just this past sunday, and i know it was during a green bay packers playoff game >> yes, it was >> jimmy: i know you're a big packers fan. >> that was a problem. >> jimmy: yeah, what did you do did you -- commercial break watching your phone? >> i just did not look at my phone. i did not look at my phone i dvr'd it, and i went home and hooted and hollered all by myself it was a great game. i mean, if you like the packers, it was a great game >> jimmy: you watched the game after the game was played? >> yes >> jimmy: no one does that >> well, i had to. it's my team >> jimmy: wow. so you didn't want to hear the scores >> nope. >> jimmy: you just go home and you put on your jersey >> that's right. >> jimmy: no way and go, "i'm going to watch it like it's live." >> yes, i did not put the cheese hat on. i reserve that for - [ laughter

she plays bonnie stoll, friend and coach to swimmer diana nyad.s much more challenging for annette. i spent a lot of time on the side of the boat sucking in my stomach in my jogger bra. >> i am not working with you again ever. >> you think i want to work with you? >> yeah. >> reporter: after a five-year wait, there is at highly anticipated fourth season of hbo's "true detective," out next sunday. >> my job is to keep everyone safe. >> reporter: night country is just as spooky and supernatural as the first "true detective." but this time it's set in the frigid polar winter nights of alaska. >> was it as cold as it looked up there when you were shooting. >> probably colder than it looked. there are moments where it's hard to speak. it's so cold that your mouth does that. >> stop [ bleep ] around! this is a crime scene. pretend like you know what you are doing. >> reporter: foster plays detective liz danvers, confronting a certain darkness of her own. >> you are not going to blame her on me. i wasn't even here. you know who was here? you. >> i didn't