Copyright Screen Rant
Sydney Sweeney has brought to life one of the most popular female sports figures to life in Christy, and there's a key reason why the film is important for today. Co-written and directed by The King's David Michôd, the biographical drama explores the life of Christy Martin, a woman who rose from an underdog in the world of boxing to become one of the sport's biggest names, even in the face of her harrowing personal life. Sweeney leads the cast in the titular role, with her transformation into the hard-hitting boxer garnering widespread acclaim, alongside Emmy nominee Ben Foster as her coach and abusive husband James V. Martin, Merritt Wever, Katy O'Brian, Ethan Embry and Chad L. Coleman. Unlike Sweeney's performance, the rest of Christy has garnered divided reviews from critics, currently sitting at a 66% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. In honor of the movie's release, ScreenRant interviewed Sydney Sweeney, Christy Martin and Katy O'Brian to discuss Christy. In looking at why now was the perfect time to tell this story, Martin began by pointing out that there are audiences who are sure to be going through the same things she did in her life, and is therefore important that they see there's "a path" through these "struggles": Christy Martin: [They need to] see that they're not alone, and they can see a path to get out. Sydney did that really well. She became me, and people are responding to this story. For Sweeney, who is also a producer on the film, Christy represents the kind of inspirational story that could "create change" for the people who find themselves in a similar position to the movie's titular sports legend. Describing Martin as "truly an underdog and such an incredible person", the two-time Emmy nominee called it "an honor" to have brought her story to the screen. Sweeney Took Her Preparation Intensely Enough To The Point Of Getting In The Ring Herself ScreenRant: Christy, you are an underdog, but you also know how good you were in the ring. It was really cool over the course of this film to see your trash-talking evolve, because anyone who follows combat sports knows half the battle is selling a fight and making sure people want to see that clash. Can you speak to the evolution of your trash-talking over the course of your career? Christy Martin: There is nothing I love better than to get into that smack talk back and forth. I think I used it to try to get into my opponent's head, thinking, "I'm going to beat you before you even get in the ring. I'm gonna make you so angry you're going to make mistakes." Really, you know what? Sydney liked it. She absolutely liked it. Sydney Sweeney: I really enjoyed it! ScreenRant: Sydney, when it came to actually getting in the ring, did you ever take a real strike accidentally? And if so, how did that impact your perception of Christy's toughness? Sydney Sweeney: Every single fight, I told the girls to hit me, so all the fights you see in the movie were actually hitting each other. I loved it. ScreenRant: I read that you want to step in the ring for real. Is this true? Sydney Sweeney: I mean, maybe you'll have to wait and watch Christy Martin Promotions. [Laughs] ScreenRant: Christy, I also read that you didn't interact with Ben on set. Is there anything you can say to the power of his performance, because I'm assuming you've watched the film in full at this point? Christy Martin: I don't know if there is one word that can describe the power of his performance. He was Jim Martin. He was Jim Martin so much that I accidentally walked out a door one day, and he was sitting there, and I immediately started cussing him out. I had to reel myself in and say, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, Christy. That's not Jim Martin." I don't know if I apologized to him. I probably didn't, but he was Jim Martin. It's scary, actually, for me. But since the movie has wrapped, he's my bud. He's been supporting my Christy Martin Promotions fights, and he's a good dude. ScreenRant: Sydney, I saw that you were filming in New York City for Devil Wears Prada 2. Is there anything you can speak about on that? Sydney Sweeney: I don't know what you're talking about. ScreenRant: I mentioned this to you at the Echo Valley carpet, but my favorite project you've ever done is Downfalls High. MGK just dropped a deluxe version for the five-year anniversary. Scarlett's in a coma. Who says no? Sydney Sweeney: I mean, Colson is such a great friend, so I would always love to work with him again. Katy O'Brian Came Into Filming Christy Banged Up From Her Previous Movie ScreenRant: You're amazing in this role as Lisa. I was so entranced by your performance, especially with the trajectory of her relationship with Christy throughout the film. Did you have the chance to chat with the real-life Lisa before production got started? Katy O'Brian: We got to chat for a couple of hours over the phone before I went in. I was between projects; she lives in Texas. It was like a whole thing, so the fact that she was even able to take some time and talk to me? I was so grateful for that. She was very forthcoming. She's very blunt, very honest, and a very fun, cool person to get to know. Right away, I was like, "I'm obsessed with this person. I'm so glad I get to play her." When we finally got to meet on set, I remember I was just waiting for Sydney to wrap a scene because we were going to do some of our choreo. In the meantime, Lisa and I went back with the fight coordinator, Wally Walter, and she was just ragging on him, talking about the easy techniques to go against lefties. I'm a lefty, so she was getting his ribs and stuff like that. It was just really fun to see the spark in her eyes, the passion in her eyes, but also just the difference in the skill of someone who's a world-class boxer. I love seeing people in their element when they're excited. It was just awesome. ScreenRant: You're no stranger to taking on physical roles, so I'm sure this kind of physical preparation is something that's relatively familiar to you. But were there any elements on the boxing side that took you by surprise? Katy O'Brian: Well, this was actually kind of a "Should I even responsibly take the role?" situation. I, of all things, had just blown my back out on a rom-com. Literally, so embarrassing. I felt very fragile. I had two tears in my shoulder, and every time I threw a punch, I felt like my shoulder was going to fall off. That was the biggest hurdle I had to get over. And then the other thing is that I've done hapkido, I've done karate and traditional sports. I'm very stiff. And then I've done Muay Thai, which is primarily kicking. That's where I would center that style. But boxing is a different stance and a different energy and a different kind of technique and tactics, so it was about trying to modify, in the very short period of time we had, my Muay Thai stance to a western boxing stance.
