Sydney Sweeney’s recent film, “Christy,” has not performed well at the box office, prompting plus-size model Ella Halikas to speculate that the lack of skin exposure from the star might be a reason for its underwhelming reception.
In “Christy,” Sweeney, 28, takes on the role of Hall of Fame boxer Christy Martin, a significant departure from the sultry, blonde bombshell image she’s known for.
When questioned about whether the film’s lackluster performance was due to Sweeney not taking on her “usual revealing roles,” Halikas shared with TMZ, “All I will say is that she has created a brand for herself where people expect to see her showing skin and embodying beauty and allure.”
Halikas further elaborated, “When an actress is more covered and steps away from that familiar persona, audiences might feel unsure about how to respond.”
“It seems she has established herself as this beautiful on-screen presence, and when that isn’t showcased, especially in a different type of role, it might be challenging to captivate the same audience,” Halikas added.
Before gaining recognition as a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model in 2021, Halikas was featured in campaigns for JCPenney and Snapchat.
Sydney Sweeney’s, 28, latest movie Christy has flopped at the box office, leading plus-size model Ella Halikas (R) to suggest that it’s because the star didn’t show enough skin
Over the weekend Sweeney’s new film, Christy, which ranked in the top 12 worst ever four movies showing on more than 2000 screens, grossed a meager $1.3 million after being released in 2,011 theaters – averaging $649 per venue, according to The Wrap.
In response to her critics, Sydney wrote on Instagram on Monday: ‘I am so deeply proud of this movie. proud of the film david made. proud of the story we told…’
‘Proud to represent someone as strong and resilient as Christy Martin. this experience has been one of the greatest honors of my life…’
‘this film stands for survival, courage, and hope. through our campaigns, we’ve helped raise awareness for so many affected by domestic violence. we all signed on to this film with the belief that christy’s story could save lives…’
‘thank you to everyone who saw, felt, and believed and will believe in this story for years to come. if christy gave even one woman the courage to take her first step toward safety, then we will have succeeded. so yes I’m proud…’
‘why? because we don’t always just make art for numbers, we make it for impact. and christy has been the most impactful project of my life. thank you christy. i love you.’
Sydney’s controversies came to a head this year when it was revealed she was a registered Republican voter and starred in a controversial American Eagle jeans advert which some deemed racist due to a pun linking ‘jeans’ and ‘genes.’
The film sees Sydney playing Hall of Fame boxer Christy Martin, a role that’s a total departure from her sexy blonde bombshell image
‘I think that she had branded herself, and people know of her, in a lot of her roles for showing skin, showing the ta ta’s, feeling hot and beautiful,’ Halikas told TMZ on Tuesday; Sydney seen October 29
‘And I feel like when you’re more covered, and you’re not in that role, they’re kind of like “We don’t know what to make of it” right?”‘ the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model said; Halikas seen November 10
Halikas modeled in campaigns for JCPenney and Snapchat before rising to prominence as a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model in 2021
Both of these controversies appear to be very much at odds with most views in woke Hollywood.
She perhaps hoped to distract from the noise about her personal life with the release of her new boxing biopic Christy – but that’s not gone that well either.
In promoting the film in an interview last Friday, she said she got so immersed in her role as Martin, she dealt with injuries including a bloody nose and a concussion.
The Emmy-nominated actress told The Sun about how she and her co-stars approached the fight scenes during production of the motion picture. ‘The girls and all the fights you see are real,’ the Spokane, Washington-born star said.
Sweeney told the outlet, ‘When I walked in and I met with everyone, I said, ‘I want you to hit me. And I want you to hit me hard. And can I hit you?”
She added, ‘When you watch all those fights, we’re actually hitting each other. We were knocking each other out, we were getting bloody noses. I got [a] concussion. We were actually fighting.’
‘I walked onto set everyday surrounded by a crew that poured their hearts and souls into this story,’ Sweeney said. ‘I fought alongside a group of women who became my family.
‘We trained harder than we ever thought we could then would end up singing our hearts out on the ring floor.’
Sweeney paid tribute to Martin, who she said inspired everyone on the movie ‘to step into our power.
‘Her story made us fight harder for ourselves and for every woman who has ever been silenced,’ Sweeney said. ‘This film was painful, joyful, resilient, beautiful, it was everything.’
Over the weekend Sweeney’s new film, Christy, grossed a meager $1.3 million after being released in 2,011 theaters – averaging $649 per venue, according to The Wrap
Taking to Instagram on Monday, the actress shared an impassioned post about the movie
Sydney’s controversies came to a head this year when it was revealed she was a registered Republican voter and starred in a controversial American Eagle jeans advert which some deemed racist due to a pun linking ‘jeans’ and ‘genes’
Christy, who was Don King’s first-ever female client, gained national spotlight in March of 1996 when she captured the World Boxing Council women’s lightweight championship in a bloody Las Vegas bout against Deirdre Gogarty.
Christy, who was nicknamed The Coalminer’s Daughter, was on the undercard of the infamous 1997 bout in which Mike Tyson bit the ear of Evander Holyfield.
She is also the only female boxer to ever be featured on the cover of the magazine Sports Illustrated.
She also fought Laila Ali, the daughter of late boxing icon Muhammad Ali, in a high-profile 2003 bout in which Laila knocked her out.
