Sydney Sweeney appears battered and nearly unrecognizable in the first-look trailer for Christy, a biopic about boxing pioneer Christy Martin, a trailer released Thursday shows. The teaser emphasizes a physical transformation by Sweeney, who said she gained about 30 pounds for the role, and is set to Stevie Nicks’ 1981 song "Edge of Seventeen."
The clips present Sweeney — stripped of her trademark blonde look and shown in several short hairstyles, including a brunette mullet — moving through training scenes and brutal in-ring moments. Ben Foster appears as Jim, Martin’s trainer-turned-husband, and the trailer includes a harrowing exchange in which his character warns, "If you leave me I'll kill you." The film had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival last week, where it received positive attention from critics.
Sweeney told Deadline she embraced the physical demands of the role, saying, "I absolutely loved it. I truly felt Christy’s power as I transformed." She described a rigorous preparation that included three workouts a day for about three months and credited boxing coaches, weight trainers and nutritionists with helping her reach the part’s requirements. Sweeney said she ate indulgent foods while bulking up, telling press she ate "a lot of Chick-fil-A, a lot, a lot of Smucker's, a lot of milkshakes" along with "a lot of protein shakes." The actor marked the TIFF run by attending with Martin.
The film’s promotional rollout has included an official poster released by IndieWire and social-media posts from Sweeney to her roughly 25 million Instagram followers. In an Instagram post after TIFF, Sweeney wrote, "From West Virginia to Toronto, #christymovie is here," and thanked the festival. She shared the trailer with the caption, "This one’s for you, Christy," and a boxing-glove emoji. The film is scheduled to open in theaters on Nov. 7.
Christy Martin rose to prominence in the 1990s and is widely regarded as one of the first high-profile female boxers, competing at a time when women’s boxing received far less mainstream attention than it does today. The biopic dramatizes Martin’s professional ascent and the personal struggles that accompanied her career, including family dynamics, questions of identity and a turbulent marriage.
Producers and the creative team have emphasized the film’s focus on both Martin’s achievements in the ring and the challenges she faced outside it. Festival coverage noted the film’s stark visual approach in the trailer, which highlights the physical and emotional toll of boxing. The inclusion of the Stevie Nicks track underscores the film’s period and tonal intentions.
Christy continues to be positioned as a major role for Sweeney, who turned 28 this month and is best known for her work on the HBO series Euphoria. Representatives for the film and the principal cast did not immediately respond to requests for further comment beyond the statements released at TIFF and in promotional materials.