Who’s that girl? Sydney Sweeney usually plays a blonde bombshell, but the 27-year-old looked unrecognizable when she morphed into boxer Christy Martin while filming a biopic about the latter’s life.
In photos obtained by The Post, the “Euphoria” starlet was seen rocking a short and curly brunette wig on Sunday while on the set of David Michôd’s new biopic in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Known as “The Coal Miner’s Daughter” because of her father’s job, Martin made her boxing debut in 1989 and is credited for making women’s boxing mainstream after taking on Deirdre Gogarty in front of cameras and a sold-out crowd at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas in March 1996.
The fight landed her on the April 1996 cover of Sports Illustrated, making her the first female boxer to grace the front of the swimsuit magazine. Her photo accompanied the headline, “The Lady Is a Champ.”
However, her life took a turn in Nov. 2010, when her manager-turned-husband James, 66, stabbed her several times and shot her in the chest, leaving her for dead on the floor of her bedroom in Apopka, Florida. The then-42-year-old athlete survived the attack, and James was arrested days later.
Her husband — who was nearly 25 years her senior — was booked in Orange County Jail and charged with attempted first-degree murder and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon.
The pair married in 1991, and their marriage was full of issues, including drug use.
Martin — who later came out as gay and married Lisa Holewyne in 2017 — released her memoir, “Fighting for Survival: My Journey through Boxing Fame, Abuse, Murder, and Resurrection,” in 2022.
It was announced in May that Michôd was directing a biopic of the boxer’s life and that Sweeney would be playing her. “The Righteous Gemstones” actor Tony Cavalero landed the role of James.
Martin was thrilled with the selection, telling TMZ, “I think she is young, hot, talented and about to make a movie that in 20+ years, fathers will watch with their daughters to make them aware of domestic violence.”
“I want this movie to bring awareness to domestic violence, the challenge of sexuality and overall underdog story,” she explained. “I am a coal miner’s daughter from a small town in southern West Virginia that made an impact in a sport that wasn’t taken seriously: women’s boxing.”
Sweeney said she was inspired by Martin’s story, and she already had experience in the ring, having “grappled and did kickboxing from 12-19 years old.”
“I’ve been itching to get back into the ring, train and transform my body,” she told Deadline in May.
But that’s not why Sweeney took the role.
