Sydney Sweeney, known for her breakout role in Euphoria and her turn in films like Anyone But You and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, is now taking on a role unlike anything we’ve ever seen from her before. She’ll be channeling boxer Christy Martin and pulling out the big gloves in the upcoming movie Christy. Sweeney pushed through intense fight training for the forthcoming flick, and she got real about one of the toughest scenes she filmed. Also, unsurprisingly, ice packs were involved.
Someone may be tempted to think that filming a boxing movie would involve staged punches and choreographed jabs that only look real on the big screen. However, the mind-blowing comments that Sydney Sweeney shared with Variety at the Toronto International Film Festival counter that aforementioned notion:
Physically bruising, when I did the Laila Ali fight, I was getting pummeled. They were holding ice packs to my face in between takes. I was getting knocked up. I had some gnarly bruises after that.
The notion of constantly applying ice packs for what’s supposed to be a staged fight for a movie is wild. Who knew making a sports biopic could be so painful for the stars? It sounds like it was an intense experience for Christy's leading lady, given the “gnarly” bruises she had. Still, if anything, I'm now even more eager to see this fight scene, which apparently involves Martin fighting Laila Ali.
As crazy as this all may sound, the Immaculate actress wanted it to go that way. A co-producer on the 2025 movie release, Sydney Sweeney previously said she approached her fight scenes with a desire for them to be as genuine as possible, with real punches being thrown. Talk about committing oneself to the job!
Keen work was also done by director David Michôd, who was also present with Sweeney and some of the cast at TIFF. Michôd revealed that after the Laila Ali fight scene, he thought his lead actress would show up on set the next day all swollen with a black eye. The Primetime Emmy nominee didn’t appear the following day with a shiner, and it was because of her dedication to recovery:
I literally drowned my face in ice buckets for hours all night…
That already sounds like a painful experience, especially if your whole face had to be soaked in ice buckets for hours. However, it is an effective strategy to prevent swelling. Considering movie scenes are typically shot out of order, it’s a good thing that Sydney Sweeney knew what to do to make sure her face stayed consistent on camera.
Of course, the Eden actress wasn’t the only one throwing punches throughout Christy. While speaking to Variety, she made sure to shout out her co-stars, who all possessed a fearless attitude in regard to getting in the ring:
Also, all the girls were so game. They were such badasses, and they were down to play with me, and I was like, ‘Are you guys OK if we actually touch and hit gloves?’ And they were like, ‘Let’s do it.’ It was gnarly at times. People were like, ‘Oh my god, they’re really going for it.’
Now, that’s courageous! I don’t know how I’d feel signing onto a movie that would involve getting punched around a lot. Nevertheless, if everyone’s “game” for such an approach, it would help bring true grit and realism to Christy Martin’s story.
Sydney Sweeney’s co-star, Katy O’Brien, said she didn’t mind “getting punched quite a few times” by her, as she felt it looked real on camera. It’s great to know that the stars were able to get the job done even while taking actual jabs.
I'll certainly be anticipating that Christy Martin vs. Laila Ali fight in the film from this point on. And, when I finally watch it, I'll certainly keep in mind that Sydney Sweeney relied on various ice packs while filming it. Here's hoping Sweeney gives a knockout performance! The upcoming LGBTQ+ movie and sports drama fights its way into theaters nationwide on November 7th.
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