After becoming the controversial face of American Eagle, Sydney Sweeney hopes a trip north of the border will take some heat off her.
The 2x Emmy nominee, whose boxing biopic Christy premieres Friday at the 50th Toronto International Film Festival, recently shut down a question about her denim ad as she prepares to promote the film about pro boxer Christy Martin.
“I am there to support my movie and the people involved in making it, and I’m not there to talk about jeans,” Sweeney told Vanity Fair. “The movie’s about Christy, and that’s what I’ll be there to talk about.”
Directed by David Michôd, Christy is about the boxer who never imagined life beyond her small-town roots in West Virginia—until she discovered a knack for knocking people out. Fueled by grit, raw determination, and an unshakable desire to win, she charges into the world of boxing under the guidance of her trainer and manager-turned-husband, Jim (Ben Foster). But while Christy flaunts a fiery persona in the ring, her toughest battles unfold outside it, as she confronts family, identity, and a relationship that just might become life-or-death.
Based on remarkable true events, Christy is a story of resilience, courage, and the fight to reclaim one’s life. The film is Black Bear’s second collaboration with Sweeney, who previously starred in the studio’s horror hit Immaculate, which NEON released domestically.
Following Sweeney’s controversial blue jeans ad, which appeared to be a nod to Brooke Shields’ infamous 1980 Calvin Klein campaign, American Eagle brushed off the backlash in a statement that the ad “is and always was about the jeans.” Meanwhile Donald Trump also endorsed the ad, saying, “If Sydney Sweeney is a registered Republican, I think her ad is fantastic.”