Legendary Pictures’ upcoming Street Fighter movie has delivered one of the most striking physical transformations in recent film history, and director Kitao Sakurai revealed just how far the commitment went during a media Q&A ahead of the film’s release. Actress Callina Liang, who portrays the iconic Chun-Li, grew her legs by 6.5 centimeters through an intense martial arts regimen so demanding that even her stunt double required butt pads to convincingly replicate the actress’s muscular physique for action sequences.
The humorous anecdote emerged during a session with press ahead of the movie’s official release, when discussion turned to Liang’s grueling training. According to Sakurai, the transformation was so dramatic that matching Callina’s silhouette in motion became nearly impossible without artificial assistance. “I knew it was serious when we were filming a scene kind of later in the movie, and I saw Callina’s stunt double, and I was like, ‘What are you wearing?’ And there were like these butt pads that she had to wear just to match Callina’s physique,” Sakurai recounted.
A Commitment That Spread Across the Cast
The physical demands of bringing Chun-Li—famously defined by her powerful kicking ability—to life extended well beyond Liang herself. Noah Centineo, who plays Ken Masters alongside her, joined in on the story with his own revelation about the production’s shared sacrifice. “Yeah, and then we had to wear them out of solidarity, too,” Centineo chimed in, prompting Liang to laugh: “We all had huge legs.”
The exchange offered a rare glimpse into the physical toll that video game adaptations can exact from their casts. Chun-Li has long been celebrated as one of gaming’s most recognizable characters precisely because of her signature thunder thighs, and the film’s commitment to realism appears to have pushed the entire cast through similar conditioning.
“Chun-Li is all kicks. So we did a bunch of Taekwondo training, Muay Thai, and Wushu (Kung Fu). I did two hours of that a day and strengthened my legs a lot and changed my diet drastically. When I was bulking, I ate 12 eggs a day. Every two hours I had to have a meal, and I was on the verge of throwing up. But it worked. By the end of the shoot, my thighs had grew six-and-a-half centimeters each.”
Callina Liang
The Extent of the Training Regimen
Liang has been candid about the work required to transform into the “First Lady of Fighting Games.” In an August interview with Empire Magazine, she detailed a diet so intense that she consumed a dozen eggs every single day just to build sufficient muscle mass. The regimen combined multiple martial arts disciplines—Taekwondo, Muay Thai, and Wushu—with two hours of daily training.
Beyond the physical conditioning, Liang went to extraordinary lengths to capture Chun-Li’s signature movements authentically. She downloaded every version of Street Fighter available on her PlayStation 5 and recorded the character’s moves on her phone, studying how the beloved fighter moves in battle so she could translate the animated iconography into live-action realism.
The dedication has resonated with fans who have watched Chun-Li’s thighs evolve across decades of gaming history. The character’s iconic lower body has been a defining feature since her debut, and audiences have followed her physical representation through numerous game iterations.
Looking Ahead
The Street Fighter movie arrives at a pivotal moment for video game adaptations, as audiences grow increasingly discerning about which franchises translate successfully to the big screen. The film’s emphasis on authentic physical preparation suggests Legendary Pictures is aiming for a grounded take that honors the source material rather than relying solely on spectacle.
As anticipation builds toward the official release, Liang’s transformation has already become one of the most discussed aspects of the production—a testament to the lengths modern actors will go to honor beloved characters. Whether the film meets expectations remains to be seen, but the commitment behind Chun-Li’s thunder thighs is undeniable.
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