I love challenging roles, says Sydney Sweeney

Sydney Sweeney loves "challenging" herself as an actress.

The 27-year-old movie star has enjoyed a meteoric rise in recent years, becoming one of the most sought-after actresses in Hollywood, and Sydney has now revealed that she craves new challenges in her career.

Speaking to W Magazine, Sydney explained: "In general, if something scares me, then usually I’m going to do it, because that means I’m challenging myself."

Despite this, Sydney admits to suffering from stage fright.

The actress said: "I do have really bad stage fright. I’m getting better now, but I give enormous credit to anybody who does theatre or live talk shows. I’m terrified by both."

By contrast, Sydney doesn't have any concerns about flashing some flesh for her on-screen roles.

The film star said: "I don’t get nervous [about shooting nude scenes].

"I think that the female body is a very powerful thing. And I’m telling my character’s story, so I owe it to them to tell it well and to do what needs to be done."

Sydney plays Christy Martin, a former professional boxer, in an upcoming biographical film, and David Michod - the director and co-writer of the movie - remembers the actress being a "ray of sunshine" on set.

He shared: "Martin put female boxing on the map in the mid-90s.

"She was the first woman fighter on the cover of Sports Illustrated and fought on the Mike Tyson undercard. Her husband was also her trainer, and then, after her success, he tried to murder her.

"Our film is a wild mix of inspiring underdog sports-world story and personal saga.

"Sydney trained her butt off to play the part. The beauty of Sydney is that she turned up to work every day with her tail wagging, ready to go. No matter how tough it was, she was like a ray of sunshine."

David recalled Sydney being at her happiest "when she was in the ring punching and being punched".

The director admitted that her on-screen appearance is a sharp contrast to her "glamorous" public image.

David - who helmed the 2014 dystopian drama The Rover - said: "I hadn’t ever seen her in Euphoria.

"I FaceTimed with her the other day when Sydney was in the make-up truck for the show, and I was stunned by the change in her appearance. I had only seen her as an adorable, tough moppet with late-’80s hair, ready to box.

"Sydney was happiest when she was in the ring punching and being punched. It was shocking to see her being so glamorous."