Exclusive: Screenwriter Mirrah Foulkes Opens Up About The Process Of Bringing ‘Christy’ To The Big Screen
Screenwriter Mirrah Foulkesis is set to release her latest film, Christy this coming Friday, November 7. Before it’s release, BeautifulBallad had the amazing chance to sit down with her to chat about bringing the life of boxer, Christy Martin, to the big screen.
On meshing with Christy Martin ahead of taking on the role of screenwriter: “We sort of met 18 months ago now, maybe two years ago now, when she was looking at writing a screenplay. And then David [Michôd] and I both sort of felt similarly that if we didn’t vibe with Christy and we weren’t on the same page and we didn’t feel like we wanted to make the sort of same film that Christy wanted to make, perhaps we weren’t the right people to do it. So we just started out talking a lot, at first over Zoom. We’re in Australia and Christy was here and long, long, long conversations in bad time zones. And then at one point, I came over so that we could meet face-to-face and we’d all drive around, went to some fights, went to some boxing rings, and just that’s how the writing process started, just through lots and lots of long conversations and we figured out pretty quick that we liked her, and we think she liked us, and so it felt like a good fit.”
On whether she was a fan of boxing prior to the film: “No. I didn’t know anything about boxing. We’re fans now.”
On finding the right balance between telling Martin’s boxing legacy and personal life: “It was really important, and we all say that it’s not really a boxing movie, it’s a movie about a boxer, but I think we all sort of felt like the stuff that was happening outside the ring and away from the cameras, was the stuff that was the most important elements of the film. So I think we sort of tried deliberately to write something that started off feeling like one of those more conventional underdog sporting movies that you might be familiar with. And at a certain point, the film really pivots into something completely different and something that’s, at times, very difficult. But that pivot is sort of the reason why we felt the movie was so important to make.”
On making sure moments in the memoir made it to the film: “It was important. We felt like the accuracy throughout was very important, not just with all the boxing stuff, which as newcomers to the boxing world, we’ve sort of felt pressure to really get that accuracy right. But also, and maybe more importantly, the other stuff that happens outside to make sure it felt authentically descriptive of Christy’s lived experience to make sure it felt like we were finding the right balance and that we were dealing with it tonally in the right way. It was the constant juggle throughout the writing process, and I think the filmmaking process as well.”
On moments during filming that terrified her: “There were so many terrifying moments. I mean, sharing the first draft with Christy was hands down, as a writer, the most terrifying moment I’ve ever had. And then sharing the first cut of the movie was even scarier still. It did feel like there was a lot of responsibility to get it right.”
On having Christy Martin on set: “I know that a lot of people that were nervous about that because it can be a weird environment, especially for people that haven’t spent a lot of time on set. And obviously, it’s a very particularly strange thing when someone’s making a movie about your life. But having spent as much time as I had with Martin by that point, I just knew that she was folding into those worlds really easily and was nothing but an asset on set. It was great to have Christy around while shooting.”
On realizing they were making something beautiful: “That moment when Ben [Foster] wrapped his last night, that was a significant moment for me on set because it’d been very difficult for Christy, obviously, to be in his company and have much to do with him. And there’s this beautiful photo of the two of them having a big hug. I think it’s the closest you got to that point. The character. There were a lot of tears in that moment.”
On one moment from filming that was a standout: “One that stands out for me was Christy’s cameo. There’s this moment, Christy has a little cameo in the end of the film, it’s an Easter egg. And there was this moment where we’d shot it and we were setting up another shot back in the boxing ring, and we had a whole bunch of extras. It was early in the morning, it was 2:00 AM in the morning. It was freezing cold. Everyone was so tired. And it was the last night of the shoot and Sydney and Christy had to walk back down to the boxing ring through this whole sort of giant crowd of extras and they all just went bananas. And they were chanting Christy’s name and it was just like, again, this feeling like there’s an energy here that just is rallying for people and it was such a special moment.”
On the one thing she wants audiences to know about the film: “It’s dark, but it’s really important. And it’s the reason we made the film. We didn’t know Christy’s story when we first started to make this film and I was shocked that we didn’t. And I feel like everybody should, and for all of these reasons and more because there’s a lot of lightness as well.”
Christy opens in theaters on November 7.
*This interview has been edited for length and clarity.