Photo by Amazon MGM Studios – © 2024 Amazon Content Services LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Thriving in a sport that places limitations on those who are perceived to be less fortunate requires more than just a natural athleticism. The new sports biopic, The Fire Inside, which chronicles the origin story of boxer Claressa “T-Rex” Shields, showcases how she embraced both her strengths and limitations to become an Olympic gold medal-winning athlete.

The Fire Inside marks the feature film directorial debut of Black Panther cinematographer, Rachel Morrison. The new drama was penned by Oscar-winning screenwriter, Barry Jenkins. The scribe served as a producer, while Morrison and Shields acted as executive producers, on the movie.

The Fire Inside tells the inspirational true story of Claressa Shields (played by Ryan Destiny in an Independent Spirit Award-nominated role). She has become considered by many to be the greatest female boxer of all time.

Claressa, a high school junior from Flint, Michigan, aided by her tough-love coach, Jason Crutchfield (portrayed by Brian Tyree Henry in a Gotham Award-nominated performance), pushes past all limitations to become the first American woman to win an Olympic gold medal in boxing. But even at the pinnacle of success, Claressa has to reckon with the fact that not all dreams are created equal, and the real fight has only just begun.

Amazon MGM Studios will distribute The Fire Inside in theaters on December 25, 2024. To help promote the biopic’s release, Morrison, Destiny, Henry and Shields generously took the time recently to talk about the feature and the boxer’s career during an press conference over Zoom.

Photo by Amazon MGM Studios – © 2024 Amazon Content Services LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Q: Rachel, The Fire Inside marks your directorial debut and what a story to start with. What was it about Claressa’s journey and her story that made you tap in and say, “This is the story that I want to tell”?

Rachel Morrison: I think it started with the fact that I didn’t know it. Claressa is such a badass force and an incredible athlete, and I follow sports. So for me to not know it, it felt like there was something wrong in the universe. I think Barry (Jenkins) had the same response, which s what inspired him to take on the project as well

I’d been reading for a long time and looking for something that felt meaningful and additive in the universe and that I could be additive to. There were things that I saw from my experiences being a female DP (Director of Photography) that I could put into it, as well. But really it’s just Claressa’s story deserved to be out there.

Q: Ryan, where were you in the world when The Fire Inside came to you? What was that audition process like? Why did you say, “I have to be a part of this film?”

Ryan Destiny: I think I was in L.A. I was working on another project at the time, and this one came in just like any other project does with your team to audition. So I just went in for it and I did my self-tape. I didn’t think too much of it because I just knew how competitive it would be. I knew how special the project was and how incredible everyone was that was behind it.

So it was just a thing where I was like, let’s just see how this goes and let’s see what happens. So it was fairly normal, just like any other thing you do. Then the callbacks came and I was really shocked that that even happened itself. So it was really cool. But I was out in L.A. during that time in my life.

Q: Was this a story that you were familiar with, too, or was it a lot of new information for you?

Ryan Destiny: It was a lot of new information. So you know, I think for all of us, it was just unbelievable that we didn’t know much about the story. I think that that’s also for other people who need to really see this film and get familiar with, and understand, the history that she’s made and how iconic she is. So it was just interesting to learn so much more when I had to audition.

Photo by Amazon MGM Studios – © 2024 Amazon Content Services LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Q: Brian, what about yourself? What made you say yes? How did taking on Jason in The Fire Inside align with where you were and what you were looking for for your career?

Brian Tyree Henry: I think every actor with their weight in salt looks for that moment where we get to actually play somebody who’s real, and is actually living and breathing. But so rarely do you get a chance to do it where they’re still making history and doing what they do. Much like them, I did not know the story, unfortunately, of Claressa. I remember getting the script and I was upset. I was like, “Oh, well, why don’t I know that?”

Then I sat down and was like, Oh, I know why I don’t know that. So now how do we make sure people never forget it? We need to remember because this is an actual story of this young Black woman from Flint, Michigan. She went on to do something that no one has done since her, and probably won’t happen again.

I wanted to explore the kinship between Claressa and Jason. We so often see movies in which we see male boxers get in shape by just eating a can of tuna and training. I also wanted to explore what that relationship was like with Jason because he is a character and a man that we so rarely see projected in cinema. This mentor is still in Flint doing this for the kids because it’s what he wants to do; he’s not doing it for fame or fortune,

I know that I needed to see role models like that, especially portrayed in cinema. I needed to feel like I was giving back to my mentors that did that for me. Also, I didn’t have to train. So I was like, cool, I have to do what Claressa is doing. But I really wanted to get into the heart of that, because truly the heart of this movie is about this champion being made that goes on and breaks all these different records and is still doing it.

It’s still a story that’s living and breathing. The end title cards had to change like seven times beause Claressa is still out here doing what she’s doing. I was like, we may have to change it before Christmas. That was really inspiring to me. Also, just to be in the passenger seat with these two women was really intriguing to me. I had heard of Ryan Destiny for quite a while. So to be there to watch her star shine like this was really awesome for me. I was really excited about it. I know Rachel’s work. But to actually see her with the director’s lens was also intriguing as well.

Q: Claressa, what was your reaction when you learned that your life story so far was going to be portrayed in The Fire Inside?

Claressa Shields: Well, somebody reached out to me two months before the second Olympics. So I hadn’t even went to the second Olympics yet. They were like, “We want to do a movie about your life. We watched T-Rex and we’re huge fans.”

I was like, “Okay. Well, which part of my life are you guys going to do because my life isn’t over yet? Then the price goes up after I win the gold medal again.” [Shields laughs.] I was also like, “So we have some negotiating to do.” So we negotiated for about a year.

I had won the Olympics the second time. So they had a lawyer named David Fox who I went back and forth with. Getting the numbers right and getting all this other stuff was a long process. I was on Google looking up, what are movie deals supposed to look like? I had no idea, s I’m a boxer.

I had just started getting endorsements and sponsorships. So I was new to it. So I was just asking them, “So where are you guys going to start in my life? Where are you going to finish in my life in the movie?” I had the documentary T-Rex made about me, which went from ages maybe 16 to 20. It was an hour-and-30 minute-long movie. But of course, they followed me for years.

I just was like, people left the documentary T-Rex thinking that I won a gold medal and that was it. No endorsements, no sponsorships, still living in Flint in poverty. I just was like, well, now with this narrative movie that’s going to be worldwide, I need it to where people understand me. I was like, “Don’t leave out any of the bad stuff. Put it all in there.”

But just know, this isn’t a sad story. This is a very resilient story. I feel like this is a very fateful and a hopeful story. I don’t want anybody feeling sorry for me because I don’t feel sorry for myself. But I want them to know, I went through this and that. I almost quit here and almost gave up there.

But look at where I am now, being 29 years old. We know about two Olympic gold medals and 15-time world champion. I’m still active and undefeated. I need people to understand that you guys may not have knew back then, but don’t miss out now. This is how powerful the story was because not everybody gets a biopic.

Q: You bring up a really great point saying that you really wanted to make sure that they were getting a 360-degree view of what your life was like. What was your involvement in helping to develop the story for The Fire Inside?

Claressa Shields: I had maybe 10 or 15 percent involvement. When I say that, everybody did their own job. I was still fighting, so I didn’t have time. Ryan and I would be passing each other. Whenever I was coming to Flint, she was leaving Flint. [Shields laughs.]

We didn’t meet each other in person until the movie was over, on her birthday. I had just seen the movie the day before. So to say that the 10 percent that I had involvement in was Barry Jenkins reached out to me. He and I had a meeting. We talked for four or five hours about what he thought my life was. Then I spoke to him about what my life was like so we could get everything right. Then he was like, “Okay, I got it.”

Then two weeks later, he sent the script, which I read. He told me, “If there’s anything you don’t like or you want taken out, let me know. I said, “I will. I’m not wanting to bite my tongue. I got you.” So I read the script. I said, “Oh, well, it was a great script. There are maybe one or two things that can’t stay.” He was very respectful of that. He said, “I completely understand.”

I didn’t come to the gym and train with Ryan, but I did answer a few questions for here about a few relationships in the movie. One day she called me and said, “Okay, I’ve been training so hard to play you. It’s extremely difficult. I’m sore. My bones hurt. What do you do when you’re sore and you’re tired and you can’t move?”

I said, “You rest.” She was like, “What?” I was like, “Yes, go get a massage, girl. Go have an ice bath and hot bath, and go into the Jacuzzi and steam room. Just rest and recover.” She was like, “Oh, I’m so glad you said that.” [Shields laughs.] That is the only thing I did.

I think I spoke to Rachel more than I spoke to Ryan. Rachel kept me in the loop about everything. She said, “Okay. This happened. COVID happened. COVID’s over. We’re back shooting. Oh, it’s not Ice Cube anymore – it’s Brian Tyree.”

Rachel was hitting me with everything. She also said, “It’s not coming out on August. It’s coming out on Christmas day.” I said, “Christmas day?” Me not being a person in the movie industry, I was like, “Who’s going to go see a movie on Christmas?” She was like, “Claressa, come on. Right?” So I was learning too.

Photo by Amazon MGM Studios – © 2024 Amazon Content Services LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Q: Rachel, you have an extensive background in visual storytelling in your career. How did that help shape the story that’s included in The Fire Inside?

Rachel Morrison: We were trying to blend a spectacle with intimacy. So the background of having shot big things like Black Panther, and directed things like Mandalorian, in my past really helped me direct this film.

But really the heart of the movie, for me anyway, and I think these guys probably agree, is what happens after the gold medal. I’m incredibly proud of the boxing, Ryan’s stunt work and the choreography.

But it’s really the heart-to-heart moments that make this movie. So I think it was really trying to be incredibly subjective and experiential, which is something that is pretty consistent in all my work. I blend naturalism with a little bit of a heightened, slightly more spectacular visual perspective.

Q: What message do you all hope audiences take away from The Fire Inside about perseverance and people following their dreams?

Rachel Morrison: I hope that people realize that no matter how badly they get knocked down, the real test is getting back up. I do think the level of resilience that Claressa has, not just inside the ring, but outside it, too, is just incredibly inspiring.

Ryan Destiny: Yes, I second to that. I would love for people to understand what it takes to be a female athlete, especially in a sport that is male-dominated.

I hope they also understand how powerful and exciting women are to watch; they’re just as much fun as men are to watch. I really hope that it shines a light on the success that female athletes have been having these past few years. I also hope the movie continues to push the narrative of them being just as great. So hopefully, it just adds on to that and continues growing. It has come a long way, but it still has a long way to go.

Brian Tyree Henry: If you think you know what it’s like to truly get back up, step into a ring and get hit in the head once, you don’t. When I went into this, I was like, at some point, Ryan’s going to get hit. But I didn’t think I would have to worry about that.

But what do you do when that first hit does happen? How do you come back? How do you strike back? You have to take your licks in boxing. But what I love about that is it’s all about the resilience, right? To actually get back in the ring is amazing, but also difficult. People don’t know this, but getting in the ring in and of itself is hard. You have to decide which rope to go in and how to jump in and out.

But then when you’re in there, you’re in there. I think that’s a beautiful metaphor for who we are as a people, for the city that Claressa’s from, for who she is. It’s also important for women in boxing and sports, as well as women, period. But at the same time, there is a resilience that comes from that. There is a strength that comes from that.

Claressa Shields: I want audiences to take away, just like everyone else said, to get back up. Don’t give up and never quit. But we also have to stop as a world with this whole not believing in ourselves thing. We have to stop with this thought of, oh, don’t give yourself too much credit. Or people tell me, Oh, the higher the climb, the higher the fall. Whoever said you have to fall?

People think that just because something happens, oh, now you may fall a little bit. But you can still work yourself back up. I want people to know that they don’t have to be afraid of how great they can be just because they’re scared of how long the fall is at the bottom. You don’t know if you’re ever going to hit the bottom. If you work very hard, it may never happen.

I think that you give yourself more power when you just believe and just do your best and put your best foot forward. It doesn’t have to be just in boxing, but also in life. Take the hard roads and do your best. Don’t worry about other people judging you because you’re only going to get better. There’s more to come.

Photo by Amazon MGM Studios – © 2024 Amazon Content Services LLC. All Rights Reserved.

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Here’s the trailer of the film.