Sydney Sweeney Shares Gritty & Drastic Prep for Christy Martin Biopic — With a Side of Chick-fil-A

Sydney Sweeney is stepping into the boxing ring in her new film Christy, and the actress has revealed just how far she went to prepare for the role.

Speaking at the Toronto International Film Festival, where the movie premiered on Friday, Sweeney said she spent months transforming herself into real-life fighter Christy Martin.

The actress trained with a boxing coach, weight trainers, and a nutritionist in the lead-up to filming. “I trained two to three times a day, every day, and then while I was filming, I trained, as well,” she told the audience.

Director David Michôd added with a laugh that there was also “a lot of Chick-fil-A.” Sweeney backed him up, saying, “A lot of Smuckers, a lot of milkshakes, a lot of protein shakes. But it was incredible being able to completely embody such a powerful woman.”

Martin, who attended the screening, was a major figure in women’s boxing in the 1980s and 1990s. She not only became one of the sport’s most recognized fighters but also survived years of abuse from her husband and trainer James Martin, who later attempted to kill her. In the film, Ben Foster plays James opposite Sweeney’s Christy.

The premiere ended with a standing ovation, with much of the praise directed at Sweeney’s performance. The film is already being talked about as a possible awards contender, and Black Bear Pictures has set its U.S. release for November 7, 2025, right in the middle of awards season.

For Michôd, working with Martin during the production carried extra weight. “This was the first time I actually had someone who was around a lot,” he said, admitting he felt the pressure. “Maybe I went into it naively, but suddenly I went, ‘F*c*, I need to be really careful with it.’ I had a responsibility to get this right.”

Martin herself praised Sweeney for capturing a side of her that few people know. “Christy the boxer was just the persona, very bombastic and very egotistical, but that is not who I am,” she said.

“I am actually very shy and reserved. I have these two different parts of my personality, which I think is why Sydney Sweeney does this awesome job. She got to be this totally different person that none of you expected. She wasn’t the beautiful, sexy Sydney. She was the tough, rugged Christy in this movie.”

Directed by David Michôd and written by Katherine Fugate, Michôd, and Mirrah Foulkes, Christy tells the story of Martin’s rise in boxing and the near-fatal violence she endured at the hands of her husband in 2010. The cast also includes Merritt Wever, Katy O’Brian, Ethan Embry, and Chad L. Coleman.

Sweeney seems to have thrown herself completely into this role, and it looks like it’s paying off. Her commitment to the physical training and the emotional weight of Christy Martin’s story is impressive, and with Martin herself praising her performance, that’s about as strong an endorsement as you can get. What do you think, could this be Sydney Sweeney’s breakthrough as a serious awards contender? Share your thoughts in the comments.