Christy (2025) cast & characters - Meet the stars behind the film and the roles they play

Christy is a 2025 American biographical sports drama film that follows the life of professional boxer Christy Martin, one of the most prominent figures in women’s boxing. The movie by David Michôd, who also co-wrote the script with Mirrah Foulkes, shows not only the 1990s rise of Martin to stardom but also her eventual personal downfall in the story of how her husband stabbed her in 2010.

The film is about her victory in the ring and the abuse she suffered outside of it.

The film’s debut was at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival on September 5, 2025, in the Special Presentations section. Christy, a Black Bear Pictures production, is set to be released theatrically on November 7, 2025.

It stars Sydney Sweeney, Ben Foster, Merritt Wever, Katy O’Brian, Ethan Embry, Jess Gabor, Chad L. Coleman, Tony Cavalero, Bill Kelly, and Bryan Hibbard.

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Who stars in Christy?

1) Sydney Sweeney as Christy Martin

Sydney Sweeney (Image Via Getty)

Sydney Sweeney is the leading actress in Christy. In 2018, Sydney starred in Everything Sucks!, The Handmaid’s Tale, and Sharp Objects, which helped her to get recognized quite early.

Later on, she got major recognition for Euphoria and The White Lotus, both of which won her Emmy nominations. Some of her works in films are Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019), Reality, Anyone but You (2023), Madame Web (2024), and Immaculate (2024). In 2025, together with Julianne Moore, she did Echo Valley and starred as the lead.

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2) Ben Foster as James V. Martin

Ben Foster (Image Via Getty)

Ben Foster plays as James V. Martin, Christy Martin's husband, coach, and abuser. Ben Foster has worked in some mainstream Hollywood movies which include The Punisher (2004), X-Men: The Last Stand (2006), 3:10 to Yuma (2007), The Messenger (2009), Contraband (2012), Hell or High Water (2016), and Leave No Trace (2018).

For his performance in Hell or High Water, Ben Foster won the Independent Spirit Award. Besides playing in film, he has also acted in theater with credits such as Orphans on Broadway and A Streetcar Named Desire at the Young Vic in London.

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3) Merritt Wever as Joyce Salters

Merritt Wever (Image Via Getty)

Merritt Wever plays Joyce Salters, the stringent mother of Christy. Merritt Wever, from 2009 through 2015, worked on Nurse Jackie, and after that, she did Godless (2017) and Unbelievable (2019).

She has achieved three Primetime Emmy Awards with her roles in Nurse Jackie and Godless, and also a Golden Globe Nomination for Unbelievable. She has also starred in Michael Clayton (2007), Birdman (2014), Marriage Story (2019), and Severance (2025).

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4) Katy O’Brian as Lisa Holewyne

Katy O’Brian (Image Via Getty)

Katy O’Brian is playing Lisa Holewyne, the enemy of Christy in the arena of boxing. Among her previous roles, she has starred in Love Lies Bleeding, the Imperial Communications Officer Elia Kane in the second and third seasons of The Mandalorian, and the character George in the Syfy zombie show Z Nation.

She was also a part of shows and movies like Major Sara Grey in The CW's superhero series Black Lightning, Kimball in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Jentorra in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, and Kodiak in Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning.

Supporting cast features,

• Jess Gabor as Rosie,
• Chad L. Coleman as Don King, a prolific boxing promoter
• Tony Cavalero as James Maloney
• Bill Kelly as Larry,
• Bryan Hibbard as Big Jeff.

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What is Christy about?

The movie is a biographical account of the life and career of Christy Martin, following her development from a small-town athlete to one of the most famous female boxers in the United States.

This movie is all about her early days when she faced a lot of hardships, her groundbreaking moments in the ring, and finally, her rise to the peak of the 90s when women's boxing was gradually becoming popular and gaining mainstream acceptance.

Besides that, it also reveals her private life, putting emphasis on her marriage with James V. Martin, who, apart from being her coach, was also her promoter. At the beginning, their relationship, though professional, was friendly and supportive but later on turned terribly abusive, culminating in the attempted homicide by the perpetrator in 2010, which nearly resulted in her death.

Director David Michôd, famous for Animal Kingdom and The King, co-wrote the movie with Mirrah Foulkes. The movie stresses the ordeal that female athletes go through in terms of pressure and risk, which is based on reality, while on the other hand, it also tells the story of the main character's steadfastness and eventual triumph.

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The movie is produced by Black Bear Pictures, and will be produced in United States on November 7, 2025.

Edited by Sakshi Singh