You know you've made it when people accuse your legs of being CGI. That's exactly what happened to Callina Liang, the actor playing Chun-Li in the upcoming live-action Street Fighter movie.
Liang hopped on her Instagram Story to share a behind-the-scenes clip of herself in full Chun-Li gear — the iconic blue outfit, spiked wristbands, and signature buns — posing next to a makeup trailer. Her caption? A simple but pointed: "I don't have time to photoshop ok." That's one way to shut down the doubters.
If you've been following her prep, though, the skepticism is almost a compliment. In a previous interview with Empire, Liang opened up about the brutal training regimen she took on for the role. According to her, Chun-Li is "all kicks," so she dove into Taekwondo, Muay Thai, and martial arts training — two hours every single day, plus a major diet overhaul.
And the diet was no joke. During her bulking phase, Liang was eating around 12 eggs a day and having a meal every two hours. The payoff? By the time filming wrapped, she'd added roughly 6.5 centimeters (about 2.5 inches) to each thigh. That's not Photoshop — that's dedication.
She also got seriously methodical about research. Liang downloaded multiple versions of Street Fighter onto her PS5, recorded Chun-Li's in-game fight moves in slow motion on her phone, then replayed them to study the details. Now that's the kind of homework we can respect.
The film itself is set in 1993 and follows Chun-Li as she recruits Ryu (played by Andrew Koji) and Ken Masters (Noah Centineo) for the World Warrior Tournament. The trio quickly gets tangled up in a deadly conspiracy. It's directed by Kitao Sakurai, who co-wrote the script with T.J. Fixman.
Street Fighter hits theaters on October 16, 2026. So mark your calendars — and maybe start doing some squats in solidarity. Think Liang's training will pay off on the big screen? Let us know what you're expecting from the movie.
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