Callina Liang’s Brutal ‘Street Fighter’ Kick Training Goes Viral as Fans Salute Her Chun-Li Dedication
Chun-Li has always been defined by her legs. Since she debuted in ‘Street Fighter II’ in 1991 as the first playable woman in a mainstream fighting game, her kicks have been the heart of her identity, and adapting that on screen was never going to be easy.
Live-action versions have struggled to capture it before. Ming-Na Wen and Kristin Kreuk both took a turn at the role, but Legendary’s new ‘Street Fighter’ bet on Callina Liang to finally make Chun-Li’s fighting style feel real.
Liang has been open about how seriously she took the job. In an interview with Zero Nine Magazine, she said she had been a fan since she was 12, and that preparing to move like Chun-Li meant training constantly through pre-production and filming.
She also credited the stunt team. Liang explained that the spinning back kick, Chun-Li’s most classic move, was performed by one stunt performer who began preparing 6 months before pre-production, and she said she fought for 5 hours at a time against a group of stunt performers on set.
Now a new piece of that process is going viral. On October 18, DiscussingFilm shared a clip of Liang saying she trained her kicks for 4 hours every day for 6 weeks before filming began.
Callina Liang says she trained kicks for 4 hours everyday for 6 weeks until filming began on ‘STREET FIGHTER’. “I had resistance bands on my legs and I had to learn how to balance on the one leg I was just kicking in & out all the time.” https://t.co/PfWj9lZ7YT
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) October 18, 2026
In the clip, she describes wearing resistance bands on her legs and learning to balance on the single leg that kept kicking in and out. The video shows her seated in an interview, beside a red-lit shot of her in full Chun-Li costume with her signature buns and a guarded fighting stance.
According to coverage of the interview, Liang trained 2 hours every day before traveling to Australia, then increased to 4 hours daily for 6 weeks before cameras rolled on the action. The work included spinning kicks, jumping kicks and a range of other kicking techniques.
It wasn’t only about technique. She trained in taekwondo, Muay Thai and wushu, added dedicated leg strengthening and overhauled her diet, reportedly eating 12 eggs a day to hit roughly 4,000 calories.
Callina Liang says she was eating 12 eggs a day while training to play Chun-Li in #StreetFighter “I had to hit 4,000 calories a day” https://t.co/KnGOFqeZHP
— Project Big Screen (@ProjBigScreen) October 15, 2026
Co-star Noah Centineo has said he, Liang and Andrew Koji trained together 6 days a week for 6 weeks. By the end of the shoot, Liang’s thighs had grown by about 2.5 inches. Liang’s homework started before the gym. She told Empire she downloaded every version of ‘Street Fighter’ onto her PlayStation 5 and recorded Chun-Li’s moves in slow motion on her phone so she could replay them.
She says she’s now able to perform one signature move herself. “The one I can do myself pretty well is her Lightning Kick,” she told Zero Nine Magazine, explaining that she can balance on one leg and kick in a row.
Fans on social media were quick to celebrate the commitment. One reply under DiscussingFilm’s post called it dedication and said you can tell Liang approached the role from a place of love, adding that they couldn’t have asked for a better Chun-Li.
PERFECT! Watch the New Trailer for Street Fighter, hitting theaters everywhere October 16. https://t.co/jAAPf1k9jf
— Street Fighter Movie (@Street_Fighter) September 1, 2026
She has also kept the habit going. Liang says she still trains at least twice a week, calling it a form of therapy. ‘Street Fighter’ opened on October 16 with Koji as Ryu, Centineo as Ken, Roman Reigns as Akuma, Jason Momoa as Blanka, and Cody Rhodes as Guile. Kitao Sakurai directed.
Reviews have been mixed, with critics giving it a 42% score on Rotten Tomatoes while audiences gave it 82% and a B- CinemaScore. The film still topped the box office on its opening weekend, with a projected $31 million domestic debut. Whatever fans think of the movie overall, Liang’s work on Chun-Li is earning praise for the physical commitment she poured into every kick.
Do you think Callina Liang’s intense training paid off in her portrayal of Chun-Li in ‘Street Fighter’?
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