Last year, Sydney Sweeney caused a stir by posting pictures from the set of her upcoming Christy Martin biopic. Now, Sweeney explains the extensive measures she took to embody the character.
Speaking to W magazine in a cover story released on June 9, the 27-year-old actress expressed her enthusiasm for the transformation process. She disclosed that she gained over 30 pounds to portray the now 56-year-old Martin. Sweeney shared, “I signed on to portray Christy and underwent three and a half months of intensive preparation. I adopted a rigorous routine, including weightlifting for an hour in the morning, kickboxing for two hours at midday, and another hour of weightlifting in the evening.”
Following this demanding regimen, Sweeney noticed significant changes in her physique. She recounted, “My body underwent a complete transformation. None of my clothes fit me anymore. Normally a size 23 in jeans, I found myself wearing a size 27. My bust size increased, and my derrière expanded significantly. It was unbelievable to witness these changes.”
Despite all those changes, Sweeney was still a fan of her new body. “It was amazing,” she told the outlet. “I was so strong, like crazy strong.”
After filming wrapped on the as-yet-untitled Martin project, Sweeney had just seven weeks to drop the weight for her next project. Director David Mîchod was thrown by seeing his leading lady in a new light, in part because he’d never seen her in Euphoria.
“I was stunned by the change in her appearance,” he told W. “I had only seen her as an adorable, tough moppet with late-’80s hair, ready to box. Sydney was happiest when she was in the ring punching and being punched. It was shocking to see her being so glamorous.”
The film will follow the life of Martin’s journey to become one of America’s most successful female boxers. She began her career in 1989 after meeting her manager and later husband, James Martin. She went on to win the World Boxing female super welterweight title in 2009 and continued to box until 2012.
In 2010, Christy nearly died after being attacked by James. He was arrested and charged with attempted first degree murder and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon. Two years later, James was found guilty of attempted second-degree murder. He is currently serving a 25-year prison sentence.
Christy was the first woman boxer elected to the Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame in 2016. She was also elected to the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2020, the first year women were included on the ballot.
According to Mîchod, Sweeney fully embodied Christy in the film, which is due out later this year.
“Sydney trained her butt off to play the part,” he told W. “The beauty of Sydney is that she turned up to work every day with her tail wagging, ready to go. No matter how tough it was, she was like a ray of sunshine.”
