'The Fire Inside': Ryan's Training

She's a fast learner, as evidenced by her conversation with Colman Domingo and Interview Mag, where they discussed her journey from growing up with brothers to finding her place in Hollywood. As the “most tweeny, itty bitty, innocent kid,” Ryan wasn’t the first to squabble up. She told Colman that since she was an artsy kid she didn’t know about Claressa’s story until she started creating the film, which also hurt her to miss out on such amazing Black history.

And ironically both Ryan and Claressa are both from Detroit and share a similar goal of trying to do something in the world.

Ryan told Third Coast Review, “When you see people trying to box for the first time, it looks like it, and that’s what I looked like. But I had enough of something that they thought they could work with.” She continued, “Then I trained with a boxing trainer for months and months, and I think it was great because he really treated me like a fighter and not an actor. He went in fully. He also trained Michael B. Jordan for Creed, and he was incredible. So he trained me the first go-around before the pandemic, and then after the pandemic I did some more months.”

Her portrayal of Claressa Shields required extensive preparation and training. Destiny underwent months of rigorous boxing training to embody the character's journey accurately. The preparation was physically demanding, and there were times when her body shut down. She appreciated having a physical therapist on set to assist with injuries and ensure proper care. Destiny's dedication and commitment to the role shone through in her performance.

Ryan also connected emotionally to Claressa’s story in many ways. “The struggle that she would have and feeling of overlooked, I connected to that a lot,” she told Third Coast Review. “Little scenes here and there that she had with her family, I saw it in my head how I would execute it. I tried not to overthink it or over-rehearse, but there were definitely moments that I had reading it where I could see myself. I think that’s also a testament to Barry’s writing; he did such a great job of making things feel very human and grounded, and that shows in what we did.”

A Five-Year Journey

The 2024 boxing biopic took five years to make due to a number of factors, including the film's production was delayed by the pandemic, it went into turnaround and was picked up by a new studio and Ryan's primary scene partner was recast.

The timing of the film's release feels meant to be. Although it would have been well-received in 2021, aligning its release with the current peak in women's sports feels like destiny. Even at its Toronto premiere, critics claim that it was clear the film perfectly captured the current moment.

Ryan told The Playlist, “That’s another echo to the fact that things really do happen for a reason. We were also supposed to come out last year. Those things like that also kept pushing. Even when we were done, things kept getting pushed and pushed still. So, I think it all needed to happen this way. I think the way that women’s sports have just progressed within the last year even is really, really cool to watch and see. So, hopefully, this is just an extension of that.”

The actress absolutely names this role as being the “toughest thing mentally, emotionally, and physically.” She also shared with The Playlist, “Having to spend five years on this was not something that I thought was going to happen. And I think it really changed me in so many ways.” When she watched it for the first time, she was really nervous. Ryan thought, “Oh my God, if I do all of this and I hate it, that would suck so bad.” While she had to brace herself and hope that she wouldn’t hate everything and every shot that she saw, she walked out of it in tears.

“I think I cried during, too, because I saw how much I transformed, and it’s different being in it versus seeing it. And that was my first time truly seeing it, and it made me very proud. I was really happy about the work. I was proud of everyone who was a part of it, our cast and crew. Everyone did such an amazing job, and it just filled me up with a lot of joy.

"And then, when I watched it the second time, I really understood the importance of how crucial this is to have this moment again and for people to see this story and learn about it. So, it made me cry for a completely different reason, and I was just so honored to be a little part of that and understand that this is so much bigger than me.”

Hollywood Sisterhood

When Colman asked Ryan if she’d found her sisterhood, she named Dominique Fishback and Chloe x Halle as some really good people in her life. Ryan went on to say, “And I’m thankful for that, because it can be tricky. But I think if you step into a lot of these rooms and situations open to people and actually nurture them, they can form into something important. I had to learn that because I’m somebody that, again, likes to sit back and be out of the way.”

In some ways, Ryan also built a bond with Claressa as she spoke to her about the role and gems she learned along the way. For example, Ryan notes Claressa’s resilience as a major inspiration. She told The Playlist, “She didn’t look at her life as being the victim of anything. And I think it’s easy to think that with everything that she’s been through and to think that it’s a sad story in some way, that she worked this hard and didn’t get her just due and didn’t get the things that she deserves, but she does not look at it like that.”

Ryan added, I honestly had to look at this whole journey itself in that way, too. I knew that things were happening for me and not against me. And I think that that’s one of the things that she does all the time, and that’s how she looks at her life. So it’s very inspiring to talk to her.”

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