Abhiroop Das
Helmed by David Michôd, ‘Christy’ reimagines the story of Christy Martin, a legendary boxer who took the world by storm in the 90s and beyond. In doing so, it takes a peek behind the scenes to capture the many obstacles that have stood in her way over the years. After being discovered as a boxing prodigy in her rural town in West Virginia, Christy is catapulted into the realm of professional martial arts, where her trainer-turned-husband, James Martin, guides her along the way. However, as the years go by, Christy’s larger, personal battles take a turn away from the ring, as she finds herself in a multi-pronged fight with society at large, often with her own people standing in her way. Thus, Christy is left with no choice but to claw her way out of everything life throws at her, even if it means walking a wholly untrodden path.
Sydney Sweeney Gained 30 Pounds and a Lot of Muscle to Get the Look Right
Sydney Sweeney’s transformation into Christy Martin was only made possible by her sheer commitment to actually gaining muscle and learning how to box. While advanced prosthetics and special effects mean that actors no longer need to undergo a physical transformation to perfect their look, Sweeney chose to go the extra mile in what she has described as a grueling but fun experience. The ‘Euphoria‘ and ‘Echo Valley’ star reportedly gained 30 pounds for the role, which involved a blend of eating in a caloric surplus and extensive physical training.
In a conversation with W Magazine, Sweeney explained that the training regimen took about three and a half months and involved, on average, an hour of weight training, two hours of kickboxing training, and then a supplementary one-hour weight training. Sweeney also hired a nutritionist to bulk up, but the process involved its own hurdles. In an interview with People, she recalled eating “everything you could possibly imagine,” alongside drinking several protein shakes and taking creatine supplements, which caused a lot of bloating.
Sweeney’s Martial Arts Experience Came in Handy When Doing Real Boxing For the Film
By the end of her training, Sweeney described her body as completely unrecognizable. “I didn’t fit in any of my clothes (…) It was crazy! ” she said, adding that it also felt amazing because of how much stronger she was. The transformation also had an emotional component to it, as for Sweeney, it felt imperative to become a vessel for the on-screen rendition of Christy and her life’s journey. One more step in nailing down that realism aspect was for the actors to actually punch each other during fight sequences. Reportedly, it was Sweeney who made this happen, and though she often walked away with injuries and concussions, nothing could stop her from refining her craft. “We are going full force (during the fight scenes),” she told Vanity Fair, explaining that she didn’t believe doing stimulated fight scenes or involving stunt artists would do the movie justice.
Notably, Sweeney had already received a bit of kickboxing training as a teen, but primarily focused on jujitsu. While she reportedly shifted her focus after ‘Euphoria,’ the idea of returning to a physically demanding role always stayed at the back of her mind. As such, learning boxing to play one of the sport’s living legends came as a perfect opportunity to the actor, as she stated in her conversation with Vanity Fair. Speaking about the nuances of martial arts techniques, Sweeney explained, “My stances and a lot of my technique (as a jujitsu practitioner) is different than boxing. You square up differently, and of course you don’t get brought to the ground—everything’s on your feet.”
The Real Christy Martin Cheered For Sweeney on Set
During her conversation with Vanity Fair, Sweeney revealed that Christy Martin herself often joined the crew on set, and while the actor felt nervous at first, that changed during the fight scenes. “She (Martin) is cheering you on, and she’s yelling, ‘hit him with the hook!’ Sweeney recalled, continuing, “And I’m like, ‘Christy, you know what’s going to happen.’ And she goes, ‘Yeah, but I’m still invested in this!’ It was such a fun experience.” All of this made for an enjoyable filming experience, which, though immensely challenging at times, ultimately made way for a very realistic depiction of both the martial arts and the martial artists.
While training, building muscle, and bulking up were one thing, Sweeney had an equally demanding road ahead when it came to losing weight for ‘The Housemaid‘ and ‘Euphoria’ season 3. Reportedly, the actor lost roughly 30 pounds in seven weeks after wrapping up her work on ‘Christy,’ much to the surprise of director David Michôd, who had gotten used to seeing her in the movie’s look. To complete this second, and equally impressive, transformation, Sweeney put a complete stop to working out and drinking protein shakes, and as a result, she lost muscle quickly. She then complemented that with a healthy diet and plenty of cardio, ensuring that her weight loss journey went as safely as possible. Both of these transformations speak volumes to how much effort Sweeney puts into the finer details of every role she takes on, and especially a role as special as Christy.
Read More: Christy Martin’s Attempted Murder: How Was She Attacked? Where is She Now?
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