Sydney Sweeney’s dedication to portraying legendary boxer Christy Martin in the upcoming biopic Christy went far beyond gruelling workouts—it also included an unexpected amount of fast food and sweet treats.
Speaking after the film’s world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on Friday, September 5, the 27-year-old Euphoria star revealed, “I trained for two or three months before I had a boxing coach. I had weight trainers, I had nutritionists, and I trained three times a day every day, and then while I was filming, I trained as well.”
Director David Michôd teased that her preparation also came with indulgence. “And there was a lot of Chick-fil-A,” he said, prompting Sweeney to laugh and confirm: “A lot of Smucker’s, a lot of milkshakes, a lot of protein shakes. But it was incredible being able to completely embody such a powerful woman.”
The TIFF audience responded to Christy with a standing ovation, leaving Sweeney visibly moved as she stood beside Martin, now 57. “As you can tell, she’s such a special and incredible human being, and her story deserves to be told,” the Emmy nominee said through tears. She went on to address the former world champion directly: “Christy, you are absolutely incredible, and I’m so honoured. Being able to have her by my side during this process was a dream, but then also just scary too. Because you’re like, ‘Oh, my gosh, we’re doing this in front of her.’”
Directed by Michôd, who co-wrote the screenplay with Katherine Fugate and Mirrah Foulkes, Christy traces Martin’s meteoric rise through the boxing world in the 1990s while also exploring her painful struggle with domestic abuse. The film will open in theatres on November 7.
