Warning: This article contains spoilers aboutTrue Spirit,now streaming on Netflix.
But what makes it even more amazing is that it actually happened in real life.
Below, EW breaks down the biggest moments from the film and the true story behind them.
Julian Panetta/Netflix
Is Jessica Watson a real person?
“It’s amazing, and Teagan’s performance is extraordinary.
It’s me, but it’s also something else, which I just love.”
Netflix
“Playing Raven onTitans, it’s purple hair, very sullen,” she says.
It’s much more in my wheelhouse.
It was nice to have that burden lifted."
Julian Panetta/Netflix
“It was so weird and awkward at first.
I felt a weird guilt, like, ‘Hello, I’m playing you.’
But she was so lovely about it, and we get on really well now.”
Did she really attempt to become the youngest person to sail solo around the world?
Did she succeed?
Well, it’s complicated and depends on who you ask.
Once she returns to Sydney Harbour amid a massive celebration, the credits roll immediately.
“The movie and what Jess is all about is not about the record,” Croft says.
“That’s not what drove her.
That’s not what she was sailing for.
She was sailing for the love of it.
So I don’t really understand how there can be controversy over a record that doesn’t exist.
All these years later, Watson isn’t concerned about any official records or titles.
“It really doesn’t worry me because it was about the adventure,” she adds.
And I’m like, ‘Cool, you guys do that.
I’m cool with that.’
There is no set nautical miles.
you could’t argue over a rule that doesn’t exist.”
Did all the characters in the movie exist?
All except for two and those two were still based on real people.
Her parents were pretty much exactly as they appear in the movie, played byAnna PaquinandJosh Lawson.
And then, obviously, he was quite reluctant, as you see.
That is probably pretty accurate in terms of mom and dad’s dynamic."
Croft struggled the most filming the scenes where Jessica talks to her family over the phone during her journey.
“There were some that were pretty damn similar to him,” she adds with a laugh.
And this is a really safe boat, it’s done this a number of times.
It’s not as crazy as it seems if you’ve got no idea about that world."
Did her pre-voyage trial run really end in a massive collision?
Did she really leave her hairbrush at home?
That did happen … but not on her long trip around the world.
“That happened on a sea trial,” Watson admits.
“So not quite the whole voyage.
Did she battle dyslexia during her journey?
Did she get knocked out during a storm?
But it turns out that entire scene was made up for the movie.
Keeping your cabin tidy is something I should have been better at.”
Did her boat get stuck for a week without any wind?
In the movie, Jessica hits an emotional low point when there’s no breeze for an entire week.
She gets frustrated and ends up arguing with Ben over the radio.
That was all fictionalized for the film but was based on real emotions Watson felt throughout her trip.
“In reality, you never get such long stretches without wind,” she says.
“Often, it’s more like a couple of days.
And even within that, you might get a few puffs along the way.
There’s nothing you’ve got the option to do.
Emotionally, they were some of the really tough days out there.”
Did a massive storm temporarily sink her boat?
Onscreen, Jessica’s journey ends with her biggest test yet, as multiple major storms merged into one.
“There were seven knockdowns,” Watson reveals.
“Not all of them were quite that bad.
A lot of the time, it’s just the boat being knocked over.
But the 15 ft. underwater is real because my emergency beacon did self-activate as the boat sank.
But the time I was upside down for, it certainly felt like a long time.
Was her return to Sydney as epic as it appeared?
Incredibly, a young Croft was there in attendance that day.
“When I came across this script, my parents were like, ‘We were there!’
Maybe I’m there in a little pink skirt or something ridiculous.”
