By this point, anyone remotely interested in incredible boxing movies may have heard about the upcoming Christy Martin biopic starring Sydney Sweeney. For some time now, Sweeney has been making headlines for her role in the sports flick, starting with her impressive 30 pound physical transformation. The A-lister also managed to channel her inner Rocky Balboa while training to play Martin in a very specific way. And, based on how she described the work she put in, this was no joke.
The Christy trailer boasts a film that's been viewed as a possible contender during awards season. Yet all of the work that the Euphoria star put in predates the first time she ever stepped on set Sweeney shared with Empire that she even amped up the preparation phase to Hollywood levels, which started at her family member’s home. She created a Rocky-inspired gym and, as she explained, training in it was invaluable for her preparation:
I built my own version of a Rocky gym in my grandma’s garage. I had a floor ring, and bags hanging, and painted the walls with chalkboard paint. I felt like I was actually going for a real fight.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m excited to see this intense-looking 2025 movie schedule entry and Sweeney’s take on trailblazing fighter Christy Martin. However, this cool, behind the scenes information sounds like excellent fodder for a making-of documentary of sorts. It'd be entertaining to watch the 28-year-old build the skills and stamina during training in her grandma’s done-up garage.
All of that aside, though, this all exemplifies Sweeney's true dedication to her role. (I also wonder if she consumed any raw eggs like Balboa while training.)
The Americana actor then explained just how long she training before the show, including the specific amount of hours she worked each day. If anyone needs any evidence of Sydney Sweeney's "I try to lose myself completely" mentality for this particular biopic, then this should certainly suffice:
I had three months of training and worked out every day. An hour of weight training in the morning and night, and boxing for three to four hours. I felt so strong.
Just reading those sentences makes my bones ache. Though, I'd like to think that after getting into the rhythm of the routine, I'd be fine. Of course, that training was also necessary for Sweeney to eventually film those real and complex fight scenes in a safe way. So making an official space to clock that many hours of boxing and weights makes complete sense.
That training was obviously just the first step for the Anyone but You star, though, as she had to put all of that to use when principal photography started. Based on the comments Sydney Sweeney has shared, the work was rewarding, but it was also grueling at times. To that point, Sweeney previously opened up about some of her more gnarly experiences, including one recovery process that involved many facial ice packs.
Such intensive prep may make me sweat, but it seems like the garage-turned-gym really helped Sweeney grasp the physicality needed for her role And, from the sounds of it, going full Rocky really paid off for her in a great way.
Check out how Sydney Sweeney put all of that hard work to use in Christy, which is set to open in theaters nationwide on November 7.
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