Sydney Sweeney talks gaining 30 pounds to play boxing icon Christy Martin
Sydney Sweeney is opening up about her dramatic transformation to portray legendary boxer Christy Martin in an upcoming biopic.
In a new interview with W Magazine published Monday, the actress revealed she spent months training for the role, gaining 30 pounds and going up four pant sizes in the process.
"I loved it," Sweeney told the outlet. "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."
She continued, "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,'" she added with a laugh. "But it was amazing: I was so strong, like crazy strong."
Sweeney also revealed that sports have always been a major part of her life.
"My mom told me from a very young age to fall in love with as many things as possible," she said. "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," she shared. "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 sh-- went down, I might be able to step up."
The upcoming biopic will be directed by David Michôd, who had high praise for Sweeney's commitment to the role. The film traces Martin's rise to fame as one of the most prominent female boxers of the 1990s.
"Our film is a wild mix of inspiring underdog sports-world story and personal saga," Michôd told W Magazine. "Sydney trained her butt off to play the part. 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."
In October 2024, Sweeney shared behind-the-scenes photos of herself in character as Martin on Instagram, expressing her deep admiration for the boxing legend.
"Over the past few months, i've been immersed in training to bring to life the story of an incredible woman -- a true champion who fought battles both inside and outside the ring," she wrote in the caption. "Her journey is a testament to resilience, strength, and hope, and I'm honored to step into her shoes to share her powerful story with you all."
