Toronto – Sydney Sweeney captivated audiences and ignited a frenzy of excitement during the Toronto International Film Festival premiere of “Christy,” the upcoming biopic starring the acclaimed 90s-era boxer. The actress was visibly moved, even breaking down in tears, as she celebrated the film’s success.
“Christy, you are absolutely incredible, and I’m so honored. I’m gonna cry! Oh my God, you’re so inspirational,” Sweeney exclaimed, as reported by Variety. The actress, 27, was particularly touched by having Christy Martin, the film’s subject, by her side. “And so being able to have her by my side during this process was a dream, but then also just scary too, because you’re like, ‘Oh my gosh. Like, we’re, we’re doing this in front of her!’”
Sweeney embodies the role of Christy Martin, a professional boxer, and the two women shared the red carpet experience. Martin, 57, stunned in a tailored white suit, while Sweeney opted for a custom Erdem blush-colored corset gown that highlighted her figure.
During the movie introduction, Martin emphasized Sweeney’s complete transformation for the role. “She wasn’t the beautiful, sexy Sydney,” Martin noted. “She was the tough, rugged Christy.”
The actress underwent a rigorous training regimen, dedicating two to three months to prepare. Her training included sessions with a boxing coach, weight trainers, and nutritionists – training three times a day, every day. To fuel her intense workouts, Sweeney also increased her daily caloric intake, confessing to consuming “a lot of milk shakes [and] a lot of protein shakes.”
Ultimately, Sweeney gained 30 pounds during her preparation. “I felt very strong and powerful,” she stated, echoing her sentiments to Vanity Fair. “I loved it. Being able to lose myself to become a vessel for somebody else is my dream.”
Director David Michôd praised Sweeney’s dedication, stating she “wanted to do the work” to fully embody the character. “She wanted to train, she wanted to fight, she wanted to transform herself, and we were going to need all of that,” Michôd, 52, explained. “One of the things that drew me to this story was the idea of being able to make a movie that starts, in a way, as a beautiful, wild, underdog sports movie, but then starts to shift into something that’s really harrowing and, ultimately, deeply moving.”
[Emma McIntyre/Getty Images]