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Christy Martin is coming to Sidney Sweeney’s defense, a day after Ruby Rose spoke out about the boxer Sweeney played in the biopic Christie.
“I’ve always been a fighter. My life reflects that in every way, and now I’m fighting for others. In the last few days I’ve seen some people attack my friend Sidney Sweeney,” Martin captioned an Instagram photo with the Euphoria star on Wednesday, November 12.
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The 57-year-old former professional boxer went on to praise the 28-year-old movie star for bringing his life story to the screen. The film was released on November 7th and, according to Box Office Mojo, had one of the top 12 worst openings of any film playing on over 2,000 screens.
“Sid not only worked hard for this movie, he worked hard for me,” Martin wrote. “For my story. For the many who suffer in silence. So I want to be clear about who Sid is. She is my friend and ally!”
Although Martin did not specifically name her critics, her message came after Rose, 39, shared opposing views on Tuesday, November 11.
In a thread, Rose praised Christie’s original script, calling it “incredible” and “life-changing.”
The Batwoman star claimed she was supposed to join the project as Rosie, a fictional character modeled after Martin’s high school girlfriend, Shelly Lusk. Jess Gabor played the role in the last movie.
Martin and Rask met in eighth grade and played basketball together in high school before their romance began.
“Most of us were actually gay,” Rose added of those involved in the early stages of the film, likely before Sweeney joined production. “That’s part of the reason I continued acting. Losing roles happens all the time.”
“For her publicist to talk about how the film failed and say the SS did it for ‘the people’. No one in ‘the people’ wants to see someone… parading around pretending to be us. You’re a cretin and you’ve ruined the movie. It’s a sign of the times,” said the John Wick: Chapter 2 actress. “Christy deserves better.”
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The sports drama depicts the professional and personal struggles Martin faced during his boxing career. Despite grossing just $1.3 million in its opening weekend, Sweeney told fans on Instagram that he was “so proud” of the film.
“Thank you to everyone who saw, felt and believed this story, and to everyone who will continue to believe for years to come,” Sweeney wrote. “If Christie inspires even one woman to take that first step towards safety, we will have succeeded. So, yes, I’m proud. Why? Because we don’t always make art for numbers, we make it for impact. And Christie is the most impactful project of my life. Thank you Christie. I love you.”
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Martin was in Sweeney’s corner even before the film was widely released. “You can feel someone’s energy,” the former boxer told PEOPLE earlier this month. “They either have it or they don’t. To me, she felt very real. Even though she’s a big star, she still felt grounded. She’s in this work for the same reason I want to share my story. She understood that it really makes a difference.”
