Chun-Li Star’s “Drastic” Street Fighter Physical Transformation & Fight Move Studying Revealed

Published Aug 29, 2026, 11:00 AM EDT Grant Hermanns is a TV News Editor, Interview Host and Reviewer for ScreenRant, having joined the team in early 2021. He got his start in the industry with Moviepilot, followed by working at ComingSoon.net. When not indulging in his love of film/TV, Grant is making his way through his gaming backlog and exploring the world of Dungeons & Dragons with friends. Callina Liang took extreme measures to get in shape for Street Fighter. Liang stars in the new adaptation of Capcom's iconic fighting game franchise as Chun-Li, a woman who works to recruit a variety of fighters for the eponymous tournament, including best-friends-turned-rivals Ken and Ryu, played by The Recruit's Noah Centineo and Bullet Train's Andrew Koji. Unbeknownst to them and her boss, David Dastmalchian's M. Bison, she actually has an ulterior motive for being involved in the tournament proceedings. As time draws closer to the film's October 16 release, Empire Magazine (per GamesRadar+) interviewed Callina Liang to discuss Street Fighter. In looking at her journey to become Chun-Li for the film reboot, the star began by recalling the deep studying she did of the games, downloading them onto a PlayStation 5 and recording "all of Chun-Li's moves during fights" in slow-motion in order to "play them back and study them." This then led to the actual physical preparation for the character, in which she "did a bunch of Taekwondo, Muay Thai and wushu" training in order to capture Chun-Li's kick-focused moveset. This not only resulted in the Street Fighter star starting to master her character's iconic fights, but also "drastically" changed her body physically: Callina Liang: 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 grown six-and-a-half centimeters each. Much to Liang's point, every character in Street Fighter's roster is known for their own individual moves, and Chun-Li's kick style is part of what helps set her apart from the others. As the games progressed, she did start to see various evolutions from the agile style of the original to initially becoming best utilized in a fast, close-range capacity, much to the chagrin of many players, to the more balanced mix of anti-air defensive moves and restoration of other iconic moves, including bringing a better balance back to the likes of her serenity escape. Even beyond their fighting moves, part of what makes the Street Fighter characters well-known in comparison to others in the fighting game genre is the extra bulky designs in every game. Liang certainly isn't the only one to have committed to trying to replicate their character's bigger build for the film, as Centineo and Koji similarly look fairly close to their game counterparts, as do Roman Reigns as Akuma and Cody Rhodes as Guile, thanks in part to their WWE histories. Part of what makes Liang's intense physical transformation for Street Fighter so surprising is how early into her acting career she is and already doing so. At the age of 26, the Canadian star is not only one of the youngest in the film's cast, just one year younger than Cammy star Mel Jarnson and four years older than Juli star Rayna Vallandingham, but is making her action genre debut with the reboot, having previously been known for her turns in the heist thriller Bad Genius and Steven Soderbergh's horror-drama Presence. Just based on the marketing, it's not only apparent the work Liang has put into Chun-Li's physical appearance in Street Fighter, but also how co-writer/director Kitao Sakurai sought to bring a tongue-in-cheek approach to her and her other characters. From quips made by Cammy about her thighs, to taking down multiple enemies with her kick-focused moveset, Chun-Li already looks to be getting her proper due in the new film. Release Date October 16, 2026 Director Kitao Sakurai Writers Dalan Musson Cast Noah Centineo Ken Masters Set against the backdrop of the World Warrior Tournament, Street Fighter follows estranged fighters Ryu and Ken Masters, both recruited by the mysterious Chun-Li. As they engage in intense combat, they uncover a conspiracy that compels them to confront personal demons and each other in a bid to survive. Producers Cale Boyter, Jason Momoa, Mary Parent, Stefan Makhoul, Takayuki Nakayama Franchise(s) Street Fighter Main Genre Action Executive Producer(s) Jay Ashenfelter, Jonathan Hook, Haruhiro Tsujimoto, Kenzo Tsujimoto Studio(s) Legendary Distributor(s) Sony Pictures