Sydney Sweeney insists her public persona doesn't reflect reality as she addresses controversies and her transformative new role.

Sydney Sweeney’s image appears ubiquitous these days, yet the actress insists that her public persona doesn't fully capture her reality.

Sweeney, 28, has become known for glamorous parts, seductive co-leads, and adventurous television characters. However, portraying real-life boxer Christy Salters Martin in the upcoming 2025 film Christy offered a role that resonated more deeply with her inner self.

“There’s a common belief that the persona created by the media represents your true identity,” Sweeney explained to Sports Illustrated in an interview released on Tuesday, December 9. She expressed a connection with Salters Martin, 57, highlighting how the boxer performed for audiences and the press while privately enduring an abusive relationship that remained hidden from the public.

When asked about public misconceptions regarding herself, Sweeney responded, “A lot of things,” but chose not to provide further details.

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Sweeney, who has experienced persistent criticism and scrutiny of her physique since achieving fame in Hollywood, noted that Christy provided an opportunity to demonstrate a different facet of her capabilities.

Rather than taking on a typical ring girl role, she donned the gloves herself, engaging in fights while simultaneously depicting the harrowing details of Salters Martin’s near-fatal assault by her ex-husband. (Salters Martin’s former husband and trainer, Jim Martin, shot her in 2010, severed the phone line, and left her for dead while he showered. She survived the attack and resolved to share her story to help others.)

“I realized that if I continued training in L.A. or anywhere else, I would be photographed,” Sweeney shared regarding her choice to train in Idaho inside a makeshift boxing facility in her grandmother’s shed. “I wanted to return home. I needed to vanish, ignore external pressures, and completely dedicate myself to the role.”

The actress increased her weight by 30 pounds for the part, using creatine, Uncrustables, and protein shakes. She mastered kickboxing and MMA techniques and seldom required a stunt double during fight choreography.

“I insisted on performing the actual fighting,” Sweeney stated, adding that she developed such a strong passion for the sport that she considered pausing her acting career to train with Salters Martin away from Hollywood.

Sweeney chuckled, remarking, “You probably think I'm kidding,” yet she found comfort in boxing and in the unpredictability inherent in each match. “It provides a sense of great power,” she added.

Although Christy earned only $1.3 million during its November opening weekend, Sweeney expressed pride in having delivered such a vital, unadorned narrative.

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“If Christy inspired even one woman to take her initial steps toward safety, then our efforts were successful,” Sweeney posted on Instagram following the release. “Art isn't always created purely for financial results; it's made for influence. And Christy has been the most influential project of my career.”

Sweeney’s dedication to tackling diverse narratives and undertaking significant physical challenges for roles comes during a period of professional fluctuations for the actress.

Last summer, Sweeney generated controversy by participating in an American Eagle denim campaign featuring the tagline, “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans.” The campaign's use of "jean" as a double entendre for "gene" stirred social media debate, leading some observers to accuse AE and Sweeney of promoting eugenics. (Eugenics is a widely discredited movement focused on improving human genetic traits, often linked to concepts of white supremacy.)

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Both American Eagle and Sweeney refuted the claims, asserting the advertisement was solely intended to market denim products. Months later, Sweeney addressed the incident, telling People on Friday, December 5, “The reaction genuinely surprised me. My participation stemmed from my appreciation for the jeans and the brand itself.”

The Euphoria actress insisted, “I do not endorse the interpretations that some individuals attributed to the campaign. Many motives and labels have been placed on me that are simply inaccurate.”

Sweeney also stated: “Those familiar with me understand that I consistently strive to unite people. I oppose hatred and division.” She acknowledged that her previous "silence concerning this matter only exacerbated the division rather than healing it," which prompted her decision to speak publicly.

“My hope is that the upcoming year focuses more on our shared humanity than on our differences,” Sweeney concluded.

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The previous day, Sweeney dismissed additional rumors that have circulated recently, specifically concerning speculation about cosmetic enhancements.

“Let's address all of them. The truth is, I’ve never had work done,” Sweeney declared during a dual interview with The Housemaid co-star Amanda Seyfried for Allure, published Thursday, December 4. “I have a significant fear of needles; you can't imagine.”

Sweeney firmly maintained that she had not undergone surgery, despite online users juxtaposing images of her as a teenager with current photos, presenting them as supposed "evidence" of plastic surgery.

“It is unreasonable to compare a picture of me at age 12 with one of me at 26, taken under professional lighting and makeup. Naturally, my appearance will have changed,” Sweeney elaborated. “Social media users are completely irrational.”