Sydney Sweeney is a total knockout as Christy Martin. Following news of her drastic 30-pound transformation to play the pioneering boxer and first woman fighter on the cover of Sports Illustrated, the sought-after actress finally revealed a first look at her portrayal via Instagram.
The single photo shows Sweeney with broader shoulders and even some deltoid definition, while the rest of her body covered in baggy athleticwear. The biggest changeup, though, is the swapping of Sweeney’s almost Rapunzel-like blonde locks for Martin’s shag-cut brown hair. The caption, while brief, revealed that the upcoming movie, apparently titled Christy, will premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).
The look is one thing, but Sweeney seemed almost destined to play Martin on the big screen, given her ultra-athletic background, which includes serious time in martial arts dojos.
“My mom told me from a very young age to fall in love with as many things as possible,” she told W during a recent cover story . “And so I did fall in love, again and again: I love sports. I love being outside. I was on the ski team, and I wakeboarded. I slalom ski on water. I was on the soccer team and the softball team. And then my parents got me into grappling, which is like wrestling, and kickboxing. I was the only girl at the dojo. I trained there from 13 until about 19. I fought all guys. I liked to think that if shit went down, I might be able to step up.”
“Sydney trained her butt off to play the part,” added David Michod, the director and cowriter of the film. “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.”
The typically lean-and-mean Sweeney also revealed that she attacked an intense training and diet regimen, ultimately packing 30 pounds on to her tiny frame.
“I came onboard to play Christy, and I had about three and a half months of training. 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,” Sweeney said. “My body was completely different. I didn’t fit in any of my clothes. I’m usually a size 23 in jeans, and I was wearing a size 27. 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.”
The first Christy verdicts will role in during the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), slated for September 4 to September 14