Sydney Sweeney Tried to ‘Bulk Up’ for 1 Physically Demanding Role
Sydney Sweeney has made it clear that she’s not afraid of challenge. In fact, the in-demand actor specifically goes after roles that push her mentally, physically, and emotionally. Her lead role in the upcoming film, Reality, was certainly no exception. The 25-year-old pushed herself to the limit in order to embody the role of Reality Winner. She even did her very best to bulk up and put on weight so that she could play her character more believably.
What is Sydney Sweeney’s upcoming movie ‘Reality’ about?
Reality is a billed as a docu-fiction film which follows the real-life story of former Air Force linguist, Reality Winner. Winner is best known for being a whistleblower who leaked evidence of Russian interference in the election of Donald Trump. Sweeney was tasked with portraying Winner, who was just 25 years old when she was interrogated, charged, and sentenced to 5 years and four months in federal prison. The film follows the interrogation process with Sweeney being the focal point.
The actor put herself through a brutal workout routine to bulk up and physically embody Reality Winner
To say that Sweeney’s acting preparation process for Reality was meticulous would be an understatement. For every role she plays, the actor creates a book that details her character’s life from the day they were born to the first page of the script. But because Sweeney was embodying a real person for Reality, she took things a step further. Not only did she try to become Winner from a intellectual place, but she wanted to mimic her physicality as well. This meant that the actor had to adopt a pretty intense workout regiment.
“I tried to gain as much weight, to bulk up as much as I could,” Sweeney shared with The Hollywood Reporter about training for Reality. “I started working out with a trainer and lifting weights. I did a lot of the exercises that Reality would post on her Instagram. I was trying to go through her routine. She was also a yoga instructor, so I would do yoga. I tried to physically become Reality as much as possible.”
What else did Sweeney do to prepare for the role?
Of course, bulking up and physical training wasn’t the only thing that Sweeney did to prepare for the role. The actor also watched as many interviews as she could get her hands on. This helped her to really see some of Winner’s idiosyncracies and mannerisms and mimick gestures and speech patterns. But perhaps Sweeney’s greatest source for the role was Winner herself. The Emmy-nominated actor spoke to Winner via Zoom and text to help her prepare for the role.
“I’d have her speak for hours, and I would just start mimicking what she would say,” Sweeney shared about being in contact with Winner. “It was really amazing having Reality and her family support the film as we were making it, because she was able to consult with the wardrobe department and the art department at every stage, so that all the details in the film are exactly as they were in real life.”
When does Sweeney’s film ‘Reality’ premiere?
Clearly Sweeney put a lot of effort into Reality. But when is the film set to release? Reality will actually make its world premiere today, February 18, at the 2023 Berlin International Film Festival. As for when the general public will be able to see the film? That remains to be seen.
