By Kharisma McIlwaine
American boxer Claressa “T-Rex” Shields has an incredible story.
At just 29, the Flint, Detroit native overcame tremendous odds to become the first woman in American history to win an Olympic gold medal, not once but twice. The film “The Fire Inside” is based on the inspirational true story of Claressa Shields, who is the only women’s fighter to be an undisputed champion in two different divisions of boxing and is currently one of only four boxers in history, male or female to hold all four major world titles in boxing.
Written by Barry Jenkins and directed by Rachel Morrison, “The Fire Inside” stars Ryan Destiny as the young legend Claressa Shields and Brian Tyree Henry as her boxing coach, mentor and father figure Jason Crutchfield. The film follows Shields’ intense training and journey to the 2012 Olympics as a junior in high school. Director Rachel Morrison, Ryan Destiny, Brian Tyree Henry, and Claressa Shields shared their excitement for the film during a recent press conference.
Women’s accomplishments in sports do not always get the attention they deserve even amongst sports fans. Morrison’s decision to share Shields’ story in her directorial debut was sparked by that notion.
“I think it started with the fact that I didn’t know it,” Morrison said. “Claressa is such a force and an incredible athlete and I follow sports. So, for me to not know it, felt like something was wrong in the universe. Barry had the same response, which inspired him to take on the project as well. I had been reading for a long time, looking for something that felt meaningful and additive to the universe that I could be additive to, but really Claressa’s story deserved this. No matter how badly you get knocked down the real test is getting back up. I think it’s incredibly inspiring the level of resilience not just inside the ring, but outside the ring, too.”
“This was a lot of new information,” Destiny said. “I think for all of us it was unbelievable that we didn’t know much about the story. I think that’s the same for other people that really should see this film, get familiar and understand the history that Claressa has made and how iconic she is.”
“It was very important to show the dynamics of who Claressa is,” Destiny added. “To a lot of people, they see the strong parts, the parts that [are] extremely confident and ready to fight, ready to go, but she is a human, so there are other parts of her. She is vulnerable, she is kind, she is very empathetic, she cares for her family and the people around her. I just loved being able to highlight those moments within the film itself and just showing the heart of who she is.”
Like Morrison and Destiny, Brian Tyree Henry joined the project unfamiliar with Shields’ story. In addition to the desire to share this inspirational story of resilience, Henry welcomed the opportunity to pay homage to a living legend.
“I think every actor worth their weight in salt looks for that moment where we get to actually play somebody that’s real — that’s actual living and breathing,” Henry said. “So rarely do you get a chance to do it where they’re still making history, where they’re still doing what they do. Much like them, I did not know the story, unfortunately, of Claressa, and I remember getting the script, and I was pissed. 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,’ but then it was, like, ‘Ok, how do we make sure people never forget it?’”
Shields initially learned that there were talks of a film being produced about her life before she went to the second Olympics. Her life was chronicled in a documentary called “T-Rex: Her Fight for Gold” once before. This time, Shields had a clear vision of what she wanted to be shared.
“Don’t leave out any of the bad stuff… put it all in there,” Shields said. “But just know this isn’t a sad story. This is a very resilient, faithful and helpful 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, I went through that, I almost quit here, I almost gave up there, but look at where I am now. Being 29 years old, I have two gold medals; I’m a 15-time world champion, still active and still undefeated.”
“The Fire Inside” places a spotlight on Shields’ ability to keep going and succeed in the face of tremendous odds. It also honors her coach, Jason, an unsung hero who is still improving lives.
“I wanted to explore the kinship between Claressa and Jason,” Henry said. “We so often see movies where we see boxers, men get in shape, eat a can of tuna, and all of a sudden they’re heralded as the best actors in the world. But this is an actual story of this young black woman from Flint Michigan who went on to do something that no one has ever done after her and probably won’t — it’s not going to happen again. I wanted to explore what that relationship was like with Jason. He is a character and a man that we so rarely see projected in cinema. This mentor, this man that is still in Flint doing this for the kids, not for fame, not for fortune, but because it’s what he wants to do. I know that I needed to see role models like that portrayed in cinema. Truly the heart of this movie is about a champion being made that goes on [to break] all these records and is still doing it. We had to change the end cards, like, seven times!”
This harrowing story of triumph is a lesson in perseverance and going for your dreams. The team behind this film shared their hopes for the audience.
“I always would love for people to understand what it takes to be a female athlete — especially in a sport that is male dominated — and understand how powerful, exciting, and fun women are to watch just as much as men are,” Destiny said. “I really hope that it shines a light and continues the movement that female athletes have had over the past few years and continues to push the narrative of them being just as great.
So hopefully, it adds onto that and continues growing, because it’s come a long way, but it still has a long way to go.”
“Don’t give up… never quit,” Shields said. “We have to stop as a world with the “not believing in ourselves” thing. I want people to know, don’t be afraid of how great you can be just because you’re scared. You give yourself more power when you believe in doing your best, putting your best foot forward, and going out like a champion. It doesn’t have to be just in boxing, but just in life. It gets better. Whatever is in your mind for how big you want to be, shoot for the stars and get what you want, but it starts with you believing. That’s what I want people to take away from “The Fire Inside.” Believe in you.”
“The Fire Inside” opens in theaters on Christmas Day. Check your local listings for showtimes.
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