The first set photos from David Michôd’s untitled boxing biopic had Sydney Sweeney in full transformation mode as boxer Christy Martin — the actress was unrecognizable.
Known primarily for her roles in “Euphoria” and “Reality,” Sweeney appears to be making a sharp turn by shedding her bombshell image in favor of something grittier.
In a new W Magazine cover story, she opened up about the months of intense training and body transformation required to take on the role, revealing that her “body was completely different” by the time filming began.
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.
The transformation was significant — Sweeney notes she gained more than 30 pounds for the role. “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 recalled.
Sweeney is only 5’3, and for a person of that stature, gaining 30 pounds can significantly alter your appearance. I’m sure some of it was muscle, but as you can see from the image above, the changes were significant.
Martin, often referred to as the “female Rocky,” has a life story tailor-made for the screen — one marked by historic victories, personal trauma, and a groundbreaking presence in a male-dominated sport.
Sweeney isn’t the only star pushing against type this awards season. Dwayne Johnson is set to make a similar pivot in Benny Safdie’s The Smashing Machine, where he’ll play troubled MMA fighter Mark Kerr — complete with prosthetics and dramatic physical transformation. Both projects are already being framed as potential Oscar plays, with physicality and personal reinvention playing a major role in their respective performances.
Last we heard from Michod, he was editing a “new version” of his upcoming A24 stoner dramedy, “Wizards!, which was shot a few years ago, has test screened several times but still hasn’t been dated for release. His other filmmaking credits include “Animal Kingdom,” “The Rover,” and “War Machine.”
Edward Berger seems to have settled on what comes next. His Lance Armstrong biopic, starring Austin Butler, is now holding casting calls, with production eyed for January.