Sydney Sweeney pulled no punches for the upcoming Christy Martin biopic, and I mean that literally. The Euphoria star put her all into playing the female boxing legend and trained extremely hard to reach the level of physicality needed for such a role. The actress was also determined to get the boxing scenes right, as she revealed that she and the filmmaking team had an interesting approach to some of the boxing scenes, and I love hearing this!
While speaking with Vanity Fair, Sweeney opened up about what went into playing a boxing icon. The Anyone but You star not only plays the titular role in David Michôd's Christy but also acts as a producer on the film. So Sweeney had a lot of input on how the movie was made, and how the crew approached certain scenes. Sweeney revealed that in order to make the boxing scenes as grounded and real as possible, it was imperative to her that there was actual boxing in the film, something she trained hard for. Sweeney explained:
Every single fight you see, we are actually punching each other. We are going full force. I always believed that you would not be able to make it feel real if it’s a stunt double or if it’s faking the hits.
I really appreciate that Sydney Sweeney and co. went all in on the boxing scenes. Biopics are all about authenticity and, when it comes to a sports film, there's a level of physicality that has to be achieved. While I was already looking forward to the fight scenes in Christy, I think I'll be even more entertained knowing that Sweeney is actually the one giving and taking jabs in the ring.
Of course, even if actual boxing was involved, I'd image there was stunt safety, as there is in any film. To satisfy Sweeney’s desire for the hits to be actually real, a lot of precautions would theoretically need to be in place for the 2025 movie release. Additionally, everything would need to be choreographed explicitly so nobody would be hurt. This is especially important, considering Sweeney’s co-star, Katy O’Brien, confessed to taking quite a few hits from the leading lady in pursuit of this realism.
This isn't to take away from the 27-year-old’s commitment to the film. In order to even participate in these scenes, Sweeney had to have been in fantastic shape, and she’s admitted to having had a body transformation she greatly enjoyed as a result of her training.
It also wasn’t just about being in physical shape, as it was about having the technical skill to pull off the boxing scenes. Even though Sydney Sweeney had a background in jujitsu, grappling and kickboxing, she still trained heavily for the film, as her previous training proved to be very different from this kind of fighting. She said:
My stances and a lot of my technique is different than boxing. You square up differently, and of course you don’t get brought to the ground—everything’s on your feet.
Sweeney seem to put a lot of herself into this role, from changing her appearance, to training to ensure the boxing scenes were as accurate as possible for the big screen. Christy seemingly means a lot to her, as showcased in the heartfelt message Sweeney penned after filming wrapped last November. All this heart, soul, and drive is enough to get me even more excited to see the film when it is finally committed to screen, and I can’t wait to see how Christy is able to separate itself from the iconic boxing movies that came before it.
You can see Sydney Sweeney in Christy, which premiered at TIFF this weekend, and is set to be released theatrically nationwide on November 7th, 2025. Fans of Sweeney can also see her in her latest film, Echo Valley, which is currently streaming with an Apple TV+ subscription.
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