Sydney Sweeney says she got so immersed in her role as boxer Christy Martin in her new film Christy, she dealt with injuries including a bloody nose and a concussion.
The Emmy-nominated actress, 28, told The Sun Friday about how she and her co-stars approached the fight scenes during production of the motion picture.
‘The girls and all the fights you see are real,’ the Spokane, Washington-born star said.
The Euphoria actress chat with the outlet about the hits she took to convincingly played the Hall of Fame pugilist in the biopic, which arrives in theaters November 28.
Sweeney told the outlet, ‘When I walked in and I met with everyone, I said, “I want you to hit me. And I want you to hit me hard. And can I hit you?”‘
She added, ‘When you watch all those fights, we’re actually hitting each other. We were knocking each other out, we were getting bloody noses. I got [a] concussion. We were actually fighting.’
Sydney Sweeney, 28, says she got so immersed in her role as boxer Christy Martin in her new film Christy, she dealt with injuries including a bloody nose and a concussion. Pictured in Georgia last month
The Euphoria actress chat about the hits she took to convincingly played the Hall of Fame pugilist in the biopic, which is in theaters now
Sweeney on Saturday took to Instagram with a carousel of photos for her 25.4M followers documenting the production of the motion picture.
The A-list actress said in the post caption that making the movie, which was directed by filmmaker David Michôd, ‘will stay in [her] heart forever.’
‘I walked onto set everyday surrounded by a crew that poured their hearts and souls into this story,’ Sweeney said. ‘I fought alongside a group of women who became my family.
‘We trained harder than we ever thought we could then would end up singing our hearts out on the ring floor.’
Sweeney paid tribute to Martin, who she said inspired everyone on the movie ‘to step into our power.
‘Her story made us fight harder for ourselves and for every woman who has ever been silenced,’ Sweeney said. ‘This film was painful, joyful, resilient, beautiful, it was everything.’
The White Lotus alum wrapped up her statement in thanking the movie’s director Michôd, whose past credits include War Machine, Animal Kingdom and The Rover.
‘Thank you David for believing in me,’ Sweeney said, adding that she ‘will never forget the way it changed’ her.
Sweeney said she ‘put on 35 pounds during’ a three-month span in which she exercised frequently and consumed protein shakes
The A-list actress said that making the movie will stay in her heart forever
Sweeney on Saturday took to Instagram with a carousel of photos for her 25.4M followers documenting the production of the motion picture
In her chat with The Sun, Sweeney also credited costar Katy O’Brian, 36 – who portrays fellow boxer Lisa Holewyne – for her strength and resilience.
‘Katy is a badass,’ Sweeney said. ‘I mean, she is strong. Katy’s only request was, “Please don’t break my nose.”‘
The interview with Sweeney also detailed her intense training regimen for the role of the athlete, which has already generated early Oscar buzz.
‘I built my own Rocky gym in my grandma’s shed and I trained back home in Idaho,’ said Sweeney.
Sweeney said she ‘put on 35 pounds during’ a three-month span in which she exercised frequently and consumed protein shakes.
Said Sweeney: ‘I worked with my weight trainer in the morning and night, and then I had a boxing coach I worked with every day for two to three hours.’
Martin, who was Don King’s first-ever female client, gained national spotlight in March of 1996 when she captured the World Boxing Council women’s lightweight championship in a bloody Las Vegas bout against Deirdre Gogarty.
Martin, who was nicknamed The Coalminer’s Daughter, was on the undercard of the infamous 1997 bout in which Mike Tyson bit the ear of Evander Holyfield.
Sweeney pictured opposite co-star Katy O’Brian, who portrays Lisa Holewyne in the movie
Sweeney paid tribute to Martin, who she said inspired everyone ‘to step into our power’
Sweeney also credited costar Katy O’Brian, 36 – who portrays fellow boxer Lisa Holewyne – for her strength and resilience. Pictured in LA last month
She is also the only female boxer to ever be featured on the cover of the magazine Sports Illustrated.
She also fought Laila Ali, the daughter of late boxing icon Muhammad Ali, in a high-profile 2003 bout in which Laila knocked her out.
According to BoxRec, Martin holds a record of 49-7-3, winning more than half of her contests with 31 career knockouts. Her last fight was a 2012 loss to Mia St. John.
Martin’s life story has been explored before for a cinematic project, as actress Amy Schumer was linked to a film about the boxer in April of 2018.
