The first official photo fromChristyhas been released, andSydney Sweeneylooks unrecognizable as the pioneering female boxer. Set to make its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival this September, theAnyone But Youactress portrays Christy Martin in thehighly anticipated movie.
In addition to putting on30 poundsfor the role, Sweeney ditched her signature blonde hair and replaced it with Martin’s classic dark curls. In this first look, she can be seen clenching her glove-clad fists in the ring, snarling, and showing off the mouthguard. The actress had previously showcased her transformation in behind-the-scenes Instagram images from on-set.
It’s a whole new look for a star, whose other credits include religious horrorImmaculate, superhero misfireMadame Weband the first season ofThe White Lotus.Christymarks a more grown-up role for the 27-year-old actress, who is perhaps still best known for her role as Cassie in HBO teen dramaEuphoria.
Sweeney looks noticeably different in the first look after the actress underwent extensive three and a half months of training routine. Explaining how she transformed her body, the actress toldW Magazine, “I started eating. I weight-trained in the morning for an hour, kickboxed midday for about two hours, and then weight-trained again at night for an hour.”
“My boobs got bigger. And my butt got huge. It was crazy! I was like, ‘Oh my god’ … But it was amazing: I was so strong, like crazy strong,” Sweeney added.
The upcoming biopic tells the story of the real-life boxer, who became one of the more successful female athletes of the '90s and 2000s. The movie, which also stars Ben Foster, Katy O’Brian, and Merritt Wever, will cover Martin’s attempted murder at the hands of her then-husband James (Foster). Before the brutal attack, Martin was the first female boxer to be signed by iconic promoter Don King and to appear on the cover ofSports Illustrated.
It’s not just us who notice how different Sweeney looks as the famous boxer. Director David Michôd FaceTimed the actress on the set ofEuphoriaand noticed how different she was as Cassie than her boyish look as Christy.
"I was stunned by the change in her appearance. I had only seen her as an adorable, tough moppet with late-’80s hair, ready to box," he toldW Magazine. He admitted he wasn’t used to seeing the star being glamorous and was more used to seeing her in the ring than as the blonde bombshell many of us consider Sweeney to be.
If you want to find out more about the boxer before the film is released at the end of 2025, Martin shared her story in the 2021Netflix documentaryUntold: Deal with the Devil.
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