[Editor’s note: The following contains some spoilers for The Fire Inside.]

Summary

‘The Fire Inside’ tells the inspiring true story of boxer Claressa Shields’ journey to Olympic gold.

The film explores Shields’ determination and challenges, highlighting her growth as an athlete.

Co-stars Ryan Destiny and Brian Tyree Henry discuss their roles as boxer and coach, and potential future project ideas.

Directed by Rachel Morrison and written by Barry Jenkins, the boxing flick The Fire Inside tells the inspirational true story of Claressa Shields (Ryan Destiny) and her rise in the sport. While in high school, Claressa met coach Jason Crutchfield (Brian Tyree Henry), who saw potential in her that she didn’t see in herself and gave her the support she needed to reach limits she didn’t realize she was capable of. Shields became the first American woman to win an Olympic gold medal in boxing, went on to win a second medal, fought for equal pay in women’s boxing, and went on to be the greatest female boxer of all time. She also learned that success doesn’t necessarily solve your problems and the fight doesn’t end with a medal.
During this interview with Collider, co-stars Destiny discussed the physical and mental training to play a champion boxer, as well as her most memorable fight scenes in the film, while Henry talked about how he was happy not to train or have to get hit, along with how special a coach can be to someone looking for support. Henry also revealed some of the ideas he has for possible movie remakes, including a role he could see Destiny in, and Destiny was inspired by her co-star to want to get involved with projects as a producer.
‘The Fire Inside’s Ryan Destiny Had To Embody the Boxer Mindset To Portray Claressa Shields

Collider: Ryan, in taking on Claressa Shields, what was the most challenging aspect of embodying that persona of a boxer and bringing that level of confidence to the character? Once you transformed yourself physically on the outside, how did you meet that with who she is on the inside and who she brings to the ring as a fighter?
RYAN DESTINY: It all started with the physical training. I had to build that mentality up, and it was scary for me because I’m not someone who has as much confidence as she does. I look at her like a superhuman. On top of being an athlete, she’s a boxer, and I feel like that just levels up everything. That mindset is so different than a lot of regular human beings walking around. So, I knew how much of a challenge it would be and it just put the fire in me, literally, to go harder and make sure that I could execute it properly. I just wanted it to feel very real. It was also me trying to make sure I really took her and literally placed her in my head and in my brain. Whenever I had to do those scenes where I had to have this more ferocious tunnel vision type of energy, I was doing it in a way where it felt authentic. So, I took the little bit of confidence that I had and just expanded it a lot and tried to use my imagination, literally. It was me understanding who she was and trying to bring it to myself, as much as physically and mentally possible.

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Brian, your character is the kind of coach everyone wishes for. When you can’t find the love and support that you need at home, you only hope that there’s someone else out there to guide you on the right path. What did it mean to you to play someone like this, and what did you most enjoy about exploring this guy?
BRIAN TYREE HENRY: One, that I didn’t have to train. I got to be at crafty whenever I wanted to. And I didn’t have to get hit. That was all for Ryan. And it reminded me a lot of those places that felt like home for me. Jason just felt like home. I was reminded a lot about the mentors in my life who saw the potential in me. I know it sounds so cliché, but it’s really real that they stick with you. The fact that I’m sitting here right now talking to you, somebody in my life envisioned this for me, through and through. Sometimes you’re not always getting that at home. Sometimes you’re not always getting it from the family that you were born into. Sometimes it comes from outside sources. And I knew that I wanted those sources that did that for me and that poured into me to know that I see them. I wanted people to see Jason and know that he exists. He is still doing what he does in Flint, Michigan. He’s still coaching kids, to this day, and he does it mostly for no money. Most of it is volunteering.
‘The Fire Inside’s Brian Tyree Henry Loves How Claressa Shields and Her Coach Inspired Each Other To Succeed

Image via Amazon MGM Studios

And he just saw something in Claressa that he wasn’t afraid to keep encouraging.
HENRY: That’s truly what I loved about the relationship between him and Claressa. They really aided in changing each other’s minds, not just about each other, but about themselves. And so, by her just taking a chance and walking into this ring in this gym and him being like, “I never even thought about female boxers. Why didn’t I think about female boxers? But I can tell that you’re gonna be the best female boxer, and the best boxer of all time. Let’s get it.” I don’t know, that says something. I was thinking the other day about the people who wrote me recommendations for me to go to Yale School of Drama when I was kicking and screaming. I was like, “That don’t make no sense. Yale? If they saw my GPA, they’d laugh in my face.” And they were like, “You can do it. Sit down. Write this mission statement. I’m here.” I just really hope that this movie serves as a love letter to all those people who are mentoring, who are coaching, who are doing it for nothing, who really believe in these young Black kids, be they male or female or in between, and who care enough to guide them. Now that I’m getting older and longer in the tooth, I think that is also starting to shine for me, to start sharing what I know and guiding people who are coming up beside me, as well. It’s scary, but it’s still a calling. And so, I just hope that this movie is a testimony to all those who do that.

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Ryan, you have a lot of fights in this. Which one is the one that when you watch it now where you go, “Okay, I did that”?
DESTINY: Oh, that’s hard. I feel like the very first fight that introduces me, and you just see me grown up for the first time, that one just has a special place in my heart because it was a oner. We had to make sure that we did it perfectly because we were just trying to get this cool shot. Being able to execute it how we did, and perfectly get it right, was just something where I was like, “Okay, yes, that was really cool. We did it.” There are so many other fights that I really do love, but that one, in particular, was just really, really fun to do.
Brian Tyree Henry Wants To Put His Spin on ‘The Witches of Eastwick’ and ‘Reservoir Dogs’

Image via Amazon MGM Studios

Brian, after you went on The Jennifer Hudson Show and said that you’d like to remake The Witches of Eastwick, I keep thinking about how amazing that would be, so please do that for real. Are there any other projects you would like to remake and put your own spin on?
HENRY: Oh, my God, there are so many. The Witches of Eastwick is at the top. Part of me wants to make an all-female Reservoir Dogs. There are a bunch. I was thinking we should make a TV show out of Eve’s Bayou starring Ryan Destiny.
DESTINY: As long as you cast me. I don’t care what it is.
HENRY: See how that comes out? The Witches of Eastwick is at the top for me. We’ve gotta do that. I just love stuff like that.

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Ryan, when you have a co-star like Brian Tyree Henry, and you can hear how excited he gets about creating projects, does that inspire you to want to get into producing and have more of a say in what you’re doing?
DESTINY: Oh, my gosh, yeah. That’s definitely a goal of mine. I would love for the next few projects for me to be mixed into it as a producer in some way, somehow. It’s definitely something that I really want to do and I’m looking into.
HENRY: Well, I just started EPing, so I can share what I’ve learned so you can put that executive in front of your producer credit. Mentorship. See how it all came back.
DESTINY: He only did that for the camera. I just want you to know, everyone out there.
HENRY: It’s still real, even if there’s a camera there.

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The Fire Inside

The Fire Inside chronicles the journey of boxer Claressa ‘T-Rex’ Shields from Flint, Michigan, as she trains and becomes the first American woman to achieve an Olympic gold medal in boxing, highlighting her determination and athletic achievements.

Release Date

December 25, 2024

Director

Rachel Morrison

Cast

Ryan Destiny
, Jazmin Headley
, Kylee D. Allen
, Brian Tyree Henry
, De’Adre Aziza
, Chrystian Buddington
, Maurice Wayne Anglin
, Teanna Weir

Runtime

109 minutes

Writers

Barry Jenkins

The Fire Inside is now playing in theaters. Check out the trailer:

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