The Real Reason Christy Martin Refused to Be in the Same Room as Sydney Sweeney’s Co-Star

Here is the kind of sports movie that actually earns the word brutal. 'Christy' tells the life of boxing icon Christy Martin, with Sydney Sweeney stepping into the ring as the champ herself. The film digs into the abuse Martin survived from her former trainer and husband, James V. Martin, and the real-world fallout around that is still very present for her — so present that she recently said she 'could not be in the room' with Ben Foster, who plays her husband in the movie. I get it.

Why Christy Martin kept her distance from Ben Foster

Martin is clear-eyed about the difference between a movie and her life, but watching someone embody the man who nearly killed her is a very specific kind of shock. She still showed up for the premiere and praised Sweeney's performance, but Foster was a line she could not cross. Given the actual history, that tracks.

• In 2010, Christy Martin was stabbed three times and shot in the chest by her then-husband and trainer, James V. Martin, inside their Florida home. She was left for dead — and survived.
• In 2012, he was convicted of attempted second-degree murder with a firearm and aggravated battery, and received a 25-year sentence.
• He later died while incarcerated at Florida's Graceville Correctional Facility.

Sydney Sweeney treated this like a fight camp, not a makeover

At TIFF, Sweeney talked about training two to three months with boxing coaches, piling on weight work, and dialing in nutrition to mirror Martin's physique and discipline. She was not chasing a glow-up; she was building a fighter and a survivor.

And this was more than a role for her. At the Variety Power of Women 2025 event, Sweeney spotlighted the National Center on Domestic and Sexual Violence as her charity of choice, underscoring why this story mattered to her.

'Domestic violence is a very personal issue that is important to me. I hope that through Christy and her story, it can raise more awareness.'

The takeaway

'Christy' is a tough watch because the real story is tougher. Martin lived it, Sweeney trained to honor it, and Ben Foster is playing the man at the center of the trauma — which explains why Martin wanted no proximity to him, even in a controlled, professional setting. On screen, though, she says Sweeney gets it right.

'Christy' hits U.S. theaters on November 7, 2025.