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‘It's Powerful And Emotional': Sydney Sweeney On Transforming Into Boxer Christy Martin For Upcoming Movie
The upcoming Christy Martin biopic marks the second collaboration of Black Bear with Sydney Sweeney and filming is scheduled for this fall in the United States.
Sydney Sweeney is gearing up to enter the ring once again for her next role. The 26-year-old is set to portray the role of the trailblazing boxer Christy Martin in the upcoming biopic directed by Oz filmmaker David Michôd.
She is “honored to tell Christy's powerful story,” Sweeney wrote about her role taking to social media. She, along with the makers, also spoke about how excited she is about the project with Deadline exclusively.
Sydney Sweeney has been ‘itching’ to get back to boxing
The Euphoria star, who has emerged to be one of the most powerful actors of the generation, said in the interview that she has had a passion for boxing and MMA since a young age and even did kickboxing for seven years in her life. “I grappled and did kickboxing from 12-19 years old. I’ve been itching to get back into the ring, train, and transform my body. Christy’s story isn’t a light one, it’s physically and emotionally demanding, there’s a lot of weight to carry. But I love challenging myself,” she said.
Sweeney spoke about how Martin “not only legitimized female boxing, she overcame gender stereotypes and fought through emotional, physical, and financial abuse.” She continued, “I’m passionate about the fighting world, Christy’s story shines a light on her incredible rise to the top while showing the struggles of fame behind the curtains. I feel compelled to tell a story about a woman who faced so much adversity and didn’t allow it to defeat her. It’s powerful, and emotional.”
David Michôd wanted to make a film about a woman with a “ferocious” energy
Known for emotional and deep-rooted movies such as Animal Kingdom and The King, Michôd said, “I have a history of making movies about damaged men and I’d been wanting to make a film about a woman with a ferocious energy inside her. When I came across the Christy Martin story two years ago I knew I’d found it.”
He further added, “Her ferocity is intelligible and justifiable and audiences will crave it because of the circumstances she was forced to endure.”
As per the filmmaker, the upcoming film portrays Christy as a young gay lady in a small-town West Virginia during the 1990s. She used boxing as a way to vent her anger and self-expression because she came from a somewhat conservative home and wasn't allowed to be who she was. She had to make several risky and significant life decisions, the most life-changing of which was getting married to an “incredibly dangerous” man.
Michôd also praised Sweeny’s performance in the 2023 crime drama film Reality and said it “knocked my socks off.” He continued, “She has been ferociously sporty since she was a kid and has a taste for the fight game.”
What do the makers plan with the upcoming Christy Martin biopic?
The upcoming film marks the second collaboration of Black Bear with Sweeney. Filming is scheduled for this fall in the United States. The makers have planned to show the film to foreign buyers at the Cannes Film Festival the following week. Black Bear, AC Independent, and UTA Independent Film Group will co-represent U.S. rights.
The film is written by Mirrah Foulkes, and backed by Kerry Kohansky-Roberts, Michôd, Sweeney, Teddy Schwarzman, Justin Lothrop and Brent Stiefel. Talking about the film and Martin, Kohansky-Roberts said, “To make the cover of Sports Illustrated was hard enough, to do it as a female boxer was outstanding and she paved the way for so many boxers and MMA fighters to come.”
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