Sydney Sweeney has spoken of the ‘mental challenge’ of having to lose the weight she gained for her film Christy to resume filming for Euphoria just weeks later.
The Emmy-nominated actress, 27, became unrecognisable in the upcoming boxing biopic, where she plays Christy Martin who became America’s most well-known female boxer in the 90s before her husband’s attempt to murder her in 2010.
For the role, Sydney underwent a grueling training regime that involved three workouts a day for three months as she piled on 30lbs in the short timeframe.
But she then had to shed the pounds in just seven weeks to revert to her role as the sexy Cassie Howard to film the long-awaited third season of HBO’s Euphoria.
Sydney told the Guardian on going back to her previous figure: ‘It was definitely a mental challenge and almost a physical withdrawal from being able to work out so much, which was kind of like a weird serotonin drop.’
She continued: ‘I had to stop everything and drop all the weight,’ adding she had felt ‘the strongest, full-of-life version of myself’.
Sydney had gained the pounds to match the boxer’s fighting weight of 135 to 137lbs and revealed she’d often snack on a small frozen jam sandwich, known as the American treat Uncrustables.
While her co-star Ben Foster, 45, admitted to scoffing burritos in order to resemble Christy’s boxing promoter husband Jim.
Ben recalled how Sydney had mistook his weight gain for a prosthetic double chin.
He joked: ‘I think it was the second week when Syd came up and just started touching my double chin… She was like: “That prosthetic looks really good.” And I said: “That’s not a prosthetic”‘.
Sydney previously told Deadline about putting on weight saying: ‘I absolutely loved it. I truly felt Christy’s power as I transformed.
‘And I really enjoyed being able to train and work with incredible boxing coaches and weight trainers and nutritionists that helped me get to the place that I was for Christy.’
The film star said at the Toronto Film Festival she ate ‘a lot of Chick-fil-A, a lot, a lot of Smucker’s, a lot of milkshakes’ and ‘a lot of protein shakes’ while preparing for the role.
She added: ‘But it was incredible being able to completely embody such a powerful woman. I felt even stronger. It was truly inspiring.’
Sydney made sure all eyes were on her as she attended the premiere of her new film at the BFI London Film Festival last month.
The actress looked sensational as she walked the red carpet in an Alexander McQueen gown for the glitzy event.
The gorgeous pink gown boasted a delicate lace neckline with shimmering sequins, which flowed into a soft, ruffled skirt and included a pretty train detail.
Fans and critics are already buzzing about Sydney’s performance as Oscar-worthy.
In an exclusive interview with the Daily Mail over the summer, Christy Martin heaped praise on the actress for fully immersing herself in the role.
Speaking a few months before they joined the streets together for the 2025 International Boxing Hall of Fame Parade in Canastota, New York, Christy described Sweeney as a ‘perfectionist’.
‘She was really serious about her boxing,’ Christy gushed. ‘And with depicting the domestic violence she wanted to make sure everything was right.’
Sweeney recently became the center of a social media storm after starring in a viral American Eagle ad.
The campaign, which played on the phrase ‘good genes’ featuring a blonde, blue-eyed star, sparked comparisons to Nazi propaganda and ignited accusations of racism and eugenics when it launched in July.
Christy is set to premiere in the UK on November 28 and already scores 72 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes.
