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\nSydney Sweeney, speaking at the Toronto International Film Festival, revealed she consumed a diet of Chick-fil-A and milkshakes to portray boxer Christy Martin”It was incredible being able to completely embody such a powerful woman,” she saidThe film received a standing ovation following its first screening<\/p>\n
Sydney Sweeney<\/a> went the distance to fully embody female boxer Christy Martin in the powerful new biopic Christy \u2014 and that involved eating a lot of Chick-fil-A.\n<\/p>\n Following the film’s world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival<\/a>\u2019s Princess of Wales Theater on Friday, Sept. 5, Sweeney, 27, recalled the physical demands of playing the athlete, whom she affectionally called “the greatest boxer in the entire world.”\n<\/p>\n Standing next to Martin, 57, onstage, Sweeney said, “I trained for two or three months before I had a boxing coach. I had weight trainers, I had nutritionists, I trained three times a day every day, and then while I was filming, I trained as well.”\n<\/p>\n “And there was a lot of Chick-fil-A,” added director David Mich\u00f4d. Sweeney confirmed, adding that her diet also consisted of “a lot of Smucker’s, a lot of milkshakes, a lot of protein shakes.” “But it was incredible being able to completely embody such a powerful woman,” she concluded.\n<\/p>\n Christy.<\/p>\n Courtesy of TIFF<\/p>\n The first audience to see Christy gave the film a standing ovation<\/a>, drawing an emotional reaction from Sweeney.\n<\/p>\n “As you can tell, she’s such a special and incredible human being, and her story deserves to be told,” the\u00a0Euphoria\u00a0Emmy nominee told the crowd, fighting back tears. “Christy, you are absolutely incredible, and I’m so honored,\u201d she told the former professional boxer.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n \u201cBeing able to have her by my side during this process was a dream\u00a0\u2014 but then also just scary too,\u201d she said. \u201cBecause you’re like, \u2018Oh, my gosh, we’re doing this in front of her.'”\n<\/p>\n Sydney Sweeney in Toronto.<\/p>\n Emma McIntyre\/Getty\u00a0<\/p>\n Following its rapturous reception in Toronto,\u00a0Christy\u00a0will debut in theaters Nov. 7. Directed by Mich\u00f4d, who co-wrote the script with Katherine Fugate and Mirrah Foulkes, the movie tells the story of Martin\u2019s rise in the boxing ring throughout the 1990s and her struggle with domestic abuse.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n Never miss a story \u2014 sign up for\u00a0PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter<\/a>\u00a0to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer\u200b\u200b, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n On the red carpet before the premiere screening, Martin told PEOPLE it was \u201cawesome\u201d to share such an experience with the\u00a0Anyone But You\u00a0star. “It was one thing to be in a Tyson fight,” she quipped. “It’s another thing to be at a premiere with Sydney Sweeney.”\n<\/p>\n In July, Black Bear Pictures shared the\u00a0first official photo<\/a>\u00a0of Sweeney as Martin. The distributor will release\u00a0Christy\u00a0in theaters on Nov. 7.<\/p>\n