I got concussion and a few bloody noses'

Actress Sydney Sweeney says the fight scenes are the real deal in her new boxing drama and reveals how an old hobby helped her with the training

- SALLY JAMES

Sydney Sweeney’s latest film role is unlike anything she’s ever done before. In sports drama Christy, currently showing in UK cinemas, she revisits her old kickboxing days - she practised the martial art while growing up - as she transforms into West Virginia boxing star Christy Martin.

The real Christy, now 57 and retired, had a turbulent personal life as well as a stellar sporting career, having suffered sexual abuse as a child and faced her parents’ disapproval when she came out as lesbian.

Sydney, 28, who’s also set to play the lead in a screen adaptation of hit novel The Housemaid this December, discusses the blood, sweat and tears - and weight gain - involved in filming her latest movie, as she ditches her trademark glamour and goes full-on “method” for a distinctly grittier look.

What did it take for you to become a fighter of the calibre of Christy Martin?

It took some hard work for the physical transformation. I was in the gym for three months before shooting, which I loved because, having done kickboxing before, I was kind of looking for an excuse to go back. It was fun for me, but it was something I had to give up when I started on Euphoria [the hit TV drama whose cast she joined in 2019].

Were you not allowed to act and kickbox?