Sydney Sweeney seems to be everywhere fans look these days — but according to the actress, not everything is what it seems.
Sweeney, 28, has played glamorous roles, sexy love interests and daring TV darlings, but the complex portrayal of real-life boxer Christy Salters Martin in 2025’s Christy is one that spoke most to who she is on the inside.
“The perception is that the media version of who you are is who you actually are,” Sweeney told Sports Illustrated in an interview published Tuesday, December 9, noting that she felt a kinship with Salters Martin, 57, playing a character in the ring and in the press while dealing with an abusive relationship behind closed doors that no one could’ve predicted.
When asked what people get wrong about Sweeney, she replied, “A lot of things,” but declined to elaborate further.
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Sweeney, who has faced criticism and constant commentary about her body since becoming a Hollywood star, noted that Christy offered her a way to show off a different side of herself.
Instead of being the stereotypical ring girl, she got to put on the gloves and fight while also telling a darker side of Salters Martin’s near-death experience at the hands of her ex-husband. (Salters Martin’s ex and trainer Jim Martin shot her in 2010, unplugged the landline and left her for dead while he showered. She managed to escape and vowed to try and help others by some day telling her story.)
“I knew that if I kept training in L.A. or anywhere else, people would start taking photos of me,” Sweeney told the magazine of her decision to train in Idaho in a homemade boxing gym located in her grandmother’s shed. “I wanted to go home. I could disappear, not worry about the outside world and just fully immerse myself in it.”
The actress gained 30 pounds for the role with the help of creatine, eating Uncrustables and protein shakes. She learned to kickbox and MMA moves and rarely used a stunt double for her fight scenes.
“I wanted to actually fight,” Sweeney said, sharing she grew to love the sport so much she’s considered taking a break from acting to train with Salters Martin outside of Hollywood.
Sweeney said with a laugh, “You think I’m joking,” but she found solace in boxing and “the element of surprise” that comes with every match. “It feels like a superpower,” she added.
While Christy only made $1.3 million during its opening weekend in November, Sweeney is proud to have been able to tell such an important story — without all the frills.
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“If Christy gave even one woman the courage to take her first step toward safety, then we will have succeeded,” Sweeney wrote via Instagram at the time. “We don’t always just make art for numbers, we make it for impact. And Christy has been the most impactful project of my life.”
Sweeney’s desire to tell a different kind of story and challenge herself physically for the role comes amid her own highs and lows as an actress.
During the summer, Sweeney sparked backlash for participating in a now-controversial denim campaign for American Eagle with the slogan, “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans.”
The ads’ usage of “jean” was a play on the word “gene,” which caused a stir on social media, with some people thinking AE and Sweeney were promoting eugenics. (Eugenics is a widely discredited belief that aims to improve human genetics and is often associated with white supremacy.)
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Both AE and Sweeney denied the accusations and claimed the ad was only meant to sell blue jeans. Months later, Sweeney spoke out about the scandal, telling People on Friday, December 5, “I was honestly surprised by the reaction. I did it because I love the jeans and love the brand.”
The Euphoria star claimed, “I don’t support the views some people chose to connect to the campaign. Many have assigned motives and labels to me that just aren’t true.”
Sweeney added: “Anyone who knows me knows that I’m always trying to bring people together. I’m against hate and divisiveness.”
She also addressed the fact that her “silence regarding this issue has only widened the divide, not closed it,” which is why she was speaking out now.
“I hope this new year brings more focus on what connects us instead of what divides us,” Sweeney concluded.
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One day prior, Sweeney shut down another rumor plaguing her in recent months, speculation that she’s had cosmetic surgery.
“Let’s debunk them all. I mean, I have never gotten work done,” Sweeney said in a joint interview with The Housemaid costar Amanda Seyfried for Allure published Thursday, December 4. “I am so scared of needles, you have no idea.”
Sweeney was adamant that she hadn’t gone under the knife despite people pulling up pictures of her as a teenager and putting them beside photos of her now as so-called “proof” of plastic surgery.
“You cannot compare a photo of me from when I was 12 to a photo of me at 26 with professional makeup and lighting. Of course I’m going to look different,” Sweeney explained. “Everybody on social media’s insane.”
