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Eiza Gonzalez is no stranger to action films, and is becoming quite the champion of the genre. The 36-year-old actress recently starred in the time-traveling action comedy Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice alongside heavy hitters Vince Vaughn and James Marsden, and her Guy Ritchie collaboration In The Grey came out last week on the 2026 movie schedule. However, her next film gives action a new meaning, requiring more than just stunt sequences. The Baby Driver actress is set to play a body builder in the upcoming Iron Jane movie, and she went full Sydney Sweeney in Christy while preparing for the role.
Iron Jane, which will be directed by Lissette Feliciano (Women Is Losers), follows Janie John, a woman who after a childhood of neglect discovers the world of body building. Hungry for the praise and acknowledgement that comes with success, the movie follows Janie’s journey as she pushes past her limits both physically and mentally to make a name for herself. Needless to say, in order to play Iron Jane, Gonzalez had to put on incredible muscle tone. Based on her Instagram post, it’s safe to say she succeeded:
Holy back and biceps! By the looks of it, Gonzalez has been living in the gym, and it’s reminding me of that time Sydney Sweeney completely changed her physique to play legendary boxer Christy Martin in the Christy biopic. The Euphoria actress took her dedication for that role to another level, building a Rocky-style gym in her grandmother’s garage. When she dropped those first few BTS pics, the Anyone But You actress was almost unrecognizable. Gonzalez seemingly took a page out of Sweeney’s book, which makes me even more excited to see the final cut (pun intended) of Iron Jane.
While Iron Jane is not based on a true story, I do think it is important to emphasize that the body building in the film is very real, and is not for the faint of heart. Body building is a competition, a sport just as much as boxing, but the scrutiny is completely on your body during the event rather than an athletic performance. Gonzalez had her work cut out for her, and she told Entertainment Tonight the appreciation she gained for women in body building while training for this role:
It’s been a real journey. I’m just like, fascinated by the world. I have so much respect for the bodybuilding industry now that I’m in it, especially for women. I think it’s a consistent moving pull of what the goal is for them.
Thankfully, the Fountain of Youth actress had a lot of support during her transformation from Iron Jane co-star Brandon Sklenar, who plays Gonzalez’s trainer and a former body building champion in the movie.
I’m thrilled to be working with Brandon. I was texting with him today, I was like, ‘How do you do this?’ Cause you know he’s always ripped Brandon. He just finished a ton of movies where he’s like looking so fit, and I’m like, helpppppp. Helppppp.
The 3 Body Problem actress revealed the hardest part of training wasn’t even the weight lifting, but nutrition, and that her and Sklenar griped about it together:
That’s what we were talking about. I said, ‘The eating is so complicated.’ He said, ‘I know the eating is so hard and travel becomes really hard.’
I don’t doubt it. You have to have some serious self-control and a strict regimen 24/7 in order to attain that kind of physical transformation in under 6 months, even while doing press tours and traveling on vacations.
Sweeney shared similar sentiments during her transition from playing Christy to Millie in The Housemaid, where she had to drop 30 pounds as quickly as she had gained it. Coincidentally, Sweeney worked with Sklenar on that film, and I wonder if they bonded over weight training in the same way as him and Gonzalez.
I’m seriously always so in awe of actors’ physical transformations for roles, and how quickly they always accomplish it, whether it’s gaining weight or packing on muscle. Gonzalez is already an incredible actress, and now that she’s completely committed herself to the character, I just know Iron Jane is gonna be a smash hit.