Sydney Sweeney stars as boxer Christy Martin in an inspiring new sports movie, and the actress has revealed the reason for her fight scenes looking so realistic.
Having made her name in teen drama Euphoria, Sydney Sweeney has tackled horror (Immaculate), rom-com (Anyone But You), thriller (The Voyeurs), and even popped up in a superhero movie (Madame Web).
More recently she’s been piling on muscle to play professional boxer Christy Martin, who became the first female fighter elected to the Boxing Hall of Fame.
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The film is called Christy, and premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, where it received largely positive reviews, with the fight scenes frequently singled out for praise. Which makes sense based on how they were filmed…
Sydney Sweeney’s punches are real in Christy
Black Bear Pictures
In most fight movies, actors pull their punches, stunt people are used, and camera trickery makes it look like a real boxing match is unfolding. But not so in Christy.
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“Every single fight you see, we are actually punching each other,” Sweeney told Vanity Fair. “We are going full force. I always believed that you would not be able to make it feel real if it’s a stunt double or if it’s faking the hits.”
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That meant a huge amount of preparation in advance, but director David Michôd said Sweeney was up for the challenge: “She wanted to do the work. She wanted to train, she wanted to fight, she wanted to transform herself, and we were going to need all of that.”
As a youngster, the actress trained in jujitsu, grappling, and kickboxing, though that background meant she had to unlearn some skills for the movie, with Sweeney revealing that “my stances and a lot of my technique is different than boxing. You square up differently, and of course you don’t get brought to the ground – everything’s on your feet.”
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Sweeney also went through a physical transformation for the film, gaining over 30 pounds, and doing weights and boxing several hours a day for three months. “I felt very strong and powerful,” she said. “I loved it. Being able to lose myself to become a vessel for somebody else is my dream.”
Christy hits US screens on November 7, 2025, while you can head here for our list of the best sports movies ever.