You've probably seen the photos by now — and yes, those legs are real.
Callina Liang, who's stepping into Chun-Li's iconic blue outfit for the new Street Fighter movie, has found herself at the center of an online debate over her noticeably powerful legs. Behind-the-scenes footage and set photos made the rounds, and while plenty of fans were impressed by how much lower-body work she clearly put in, others started whispering that her legs might have gotten a little digital help in post-production.
Liang wasn't having any of it. She fired back directly on her Instagram Story, posting a behind-the-scenes photo of herself in full Chun-Li gear — blue outfit, wrist guards, and the signature double buns — with a simple, blunt caption: "When would I have time to Photoshop?" Fair point. The muscle definition is right there for everyone to see.
And it turns out that physique wasn't built with VFX. In an earlier interview with Empire, Liang explained that she went through intense training to do justice to Chun-Li, a fighter famous for her kicking game. Her regimen included Taekwondo, Muay Thai, and martial arts, and she was putting in roughly two hours of training every single day.
Training was only half the battle. Liang also overhauled her diet, aiming to build the kind of muscle mass that would give her legs the strength the role demands. According to her, during the bulk-up phase she was eating around 12 eggs a day. That's not a typo — 12 eggs.
Looking at the behind-the-scenes material that's surfaced so far, it's clear Liang committed to a serious physical transformation for Chun-Li. She's said before that kicking is one of the character's defining traits, so her body genuinely needed to be able to handle the role's action demands.
So next time someone claims those legs are CGI, you know the answer. Two hours a day, a mountain of eggs, and zero time left for photo editing.
What do you think of Liang's Chun-Li look so far — are you hyped for the new Street Fighter movie? Drop your thoughts in the comments!
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