The new docudrama The Fire Inside tells the story of Claressa “T-Rex” Shields (Ryan Destiny), one of the greatest female boxers in history and the first female boxer to win a gold medal at the Olympics (the 2012 London edition, to be exact). For those wondering, she was given that nickname because her arm extension is fairly short for a boxer, so she has to make up for it with pure, aggressive power. Shields was guided by her passionate, long-time coach Jason Crutchfield (Brian Tyree Henry), who trained her as a high schooler in Flint, Michigan, and pushed her well beyond her limitations and personal struggles into a champion.
But her gold-medal win is only half of the story in The Fire Inside. Because Shields wouldn't doll herself up with makeup and fashionable “girly” clothes, she didn’t get the endorsement deals that other female athletes were getting, and she ended up right back in Flint feeling rejected, having her dream stripped away. But with Crutchfield’s help, she trained even harder to compete in the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in 2016 to ensure she could not be denied as one of the world’s top boxers.
Based on the documentary T-Rex, the film marks the directing debut of Oscar-nominated cinematographer Rachel Morrison (Mudbound, Black Panther, Dope) and features a near-perfect adapted screenplay from Barry Jenkins and a fiery, fearless performance by Destiny, She is known primarily as as singer-songwriter and model to this point, with occasional series acting work on shows like Star and Grown-ish. But The Fire Inside marks a complete reinvention for her as an actor, and should open up doors for her in the dramatic world.
I had a chance to sit down with Destiny recently when she was visiting Chicago, and we dug deep into her preparation for and desire to play this character, as well as the limitless support she received from her co-star, Henry. The film is now playing in theaters. Please enjoy our conversation…
I read somewhere that one of the first things that Claressa asked you when you first met was whether you’d ever been in a fight before. Assuming you haven’t, as an actor, how do you get in the mindset to play someone who likes to beat people up, as she says?
I know. I think that was the scariest part for me, because it’s so not me. To have to get into an athlete’s head like that is something more difficult than people talk about. She has this unwavering confidence, and I didn’t necessarily. That was something I had to make sure I got, and I think it ended up being a combination of me being scared and having to just go for it fully. Also, the opportunity itself, I knew how great it was, and I knew how much we had already gone though on the project falling down at one point, so I knew I had to give it my all—go in completely. It was me going in and finding out what I had and maximizing that as much as possible.
Did you come out of the whole experience feeling tougher?
I did! If I actually had to beat somebody up, I don’t know what I would do, but I definitely felt like this was a skill that I’ve learned, and I was in the best shape of my life. My stamina was up to a crazy level. I felt very proud, especially looking at it. It looked like something .
Honestly, I walked into this movie cold, not knowing what it was about. I thought maybe Claressa was playing herself because you are so convincing. When you auditioned, was there a boxing component to your audition? And how much training did you have to do once you were hired?
For the audition, it wasn’t anything they were asking for. But for the callback, yes. They called me back a first time and then again after that, and they wanted a video of me boxing. I think they just wanted to see if I was coordinated, and I sent that over. I never want to show that video to anyone because it was so not great. 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. 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.
You’ve done a lot of acting before this, but this time out, you’re playing someone real who you have access to. Does that heighten the pressure or make it easier?
The first one . It heightens the pressure, and I knew someone like her would speak her mind. I knew if she hated it, she would say it; there would be no holding back, and I was nervous that she wouldn’t approve of how I was acting, maybe she wouldn’t believe that I was her. And then of course, there’s the boxing; that was very important for her the entire time.
When she actually saw the film, she actually loved it. She says every time she sees it, she cries; every single time. That was too much, but it made me feel so much better. But I’d been holding my breath for four years straight, waiting for that reaction.
Did the fact that you both came from Michigan and are both the same age make a difference? Did that help you find this character and connect with her a little easier?
I think so. I grew up in that same time, I knew what music we were listening to, the culture of the city, and I think that did help a lot, especially when it came to the little things—going to school, the prom scenes—it’s very important to get those things right. That did help a lot.
I don’t know if you were told Claressa’s story initially or if Barry’s script was done and that’s how you heard it first, what were the things about her life that you connected with initially? The things that you latched onto first and said, “I can get into this character through that part of her.”
Barry’s script was finished when I entered. I would say the struggle that she would have and feeling of overlooked, I connected to that a lot. 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.
When someone takes on a part that demands so much of you physically, at the end of day, how does that impact you mentally? You’re waking up most mornings sore from the day before, that has to take its toll.
Yes. It was exhausting and I felt that, but it also helped that I did prepared for it. I knew I’d be really tired, so the fact that I was training for so long, that got my stamina up and made me ready for the days that we went take after take, having to do it over and over again. My body definitely did shut down for a little bit. Luckily, I had a physical therapist on set, so whenever I was feeling really bad—I threw my shoulder out at one point, and it would hurt every time I would swing or move my arm in general. There would be days like that, and I’m thankful they took care of me because I can’t imagine doing something like that and not having the proper care and making sure I could rest as much as possible.
In the initial interactions you had with Claressa, what do you remember talking to her about, what did you want to get out of her that would be useful to you in playing this character?
I wanted to really understand her family dynamics; that was really important for me to wrap my head around. I remember reading the script and understanding that the relationship between her and her mom wasn’t the greatest. But it was hard for me to understand why there was so much pain in that but also a lot of love in that. It was just so complex, and I really needed to understand from her what it was and what is their relationship like even now, and she was very open with me. It was important that I heard that from her because that relationship was so important to her, and I wanted to make sure I got the dynamic correct.
I also used a lot of her documentary footage to really look at how she was with her siblings, her mom and dad. It helped a lot, and was a raw documentary, and I carried that with me the whole time, whenever I needed to refresh my memory about something and understanding the feeling, I’d turn it on. She was really great with everything she gave me.
This is technically Rachel’s first directing effort. What was it about her vision for this story that made you trust her to tell this story right?
To be honest, Rachel and I were really in this together. When I say that, it was a buildup of trust on both of our ends. We understood the pressure of the story and how great it could be and making sure that we took the proper steps to making it as great as it could be. Because if it’s not great, it would fall on me and her. Having so much time during prep and actual shooting, we grew together, and she would be so generous with her energy. One thing I could say about her and Brian, they looked at me as an equal. She’s accomplished so much in her career, so I definitely went in intimidated at times, but her efforts in making sure that were seeing things eye to eye really went a long way and gave a safe space for me, and I felt that from her from our first meeting. Her believing in me was also something that helped me bring my all to this and not be afraid as much. We are so close now and know what this project took; she incredible.
With Brian, he’s a legend. What did you learn from him, working this closely with him, not just about acting but also being a good person?
He’s definitely one of my favorite people; we’re like brother and sister now. He’s be so great to me, and anytime we hang out, he’s someone who makes sure he’s giving me a lot of information about life in general. I can tell he really cares. On set, off set, he has that energy that makes you look at him as a leader, and he brings a vibe that picks everyone up; it’s such a positive energy. I’m thankful he stepped into this when he did, because the whole reason we had to delay seems like divine timing. The fact that we got him is probably my favorite part of all of it.
Because you also have roots in the music world as well, do acting and music flex different creative muscle in you?
It does, and I think it’s because music is a bit more personal. I feel less pressure and more free when it comes to my music. With acting, I know I have to do a job for a studio, with a lot of people behind it, knowing that I have to show up and give a certain product. It has a bit of a different feel for me. It’s so funny that you asked about that because I’ve never really thought that, but it is different.
Claressa winning her first gold medal happens an hour into this movie. In most films, that the climax. But here, it’s the aftermath of that win that’s the most important thing. How important was it to you to put that perspective out there? We never see that in any sports movie.
I think that’s what made it really special. Obviously, it being a film about women’s boxing is really special too. But how our structure is set up is a lot different than most. It’s how life goes, and that’s what makes it great. You can win all of these things and feel like you achieved what you wanted to, and then it’s still not what you thought it was going to be. I think it’s a reflection of all of our lives, and it’s something we can all learn from. Having that type of structure was really cool to me, and I was excited for that. I knew going in, people would hopefully appreciated it, but then seeing it on the screen, I saw that it has a lot of weight to it. I’m so happy how it turned out.
Do you know what you’re doing next?
That’s always the question. I don’t, but I do know that I want to continue to do things like this. It’s the project I’m most proud of, and I want to feel like that again. It’s a balance between having to pick and choose what’s next but also being open. I’m excited to see what things can be after this comes out. We’ll see.
Thank you so much. Best of luck with this.
Thank you. I really appreciate it.
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