Callina Liang Says Her Brutal ‘Street Fighter’ Leg Training Has Become a Permanent Habit

Few video game characters are defined by a single body part quite like Chun-Li. Her kicks are the first thing fans picture, the thing every adaptation has to get right, and the reason the role demands more than casting a good actor. For ‘Street Fighter’, that meant the performer had to physically become a fighter.

Canadian actress Callina Liang took that challenge seriously. Before cameras rolled on the film’s action scenes, she followed a punishing regimen built almost entirely around kicking, spinning, jumping and balancing. The preparation has since become one of the most talked-about parts of the movie’s press cycle.

Now Liang has revealed that the work didn’t end when the film did. In a recent interview, she said she still keeps up her leg training even after the release of ‘Street Fighter’, explaining that she found the routine therapeutic and that it has become a part of her life.

Callina Liang says she still keeps up with her leg training even after the release of ‘STREET FIGHTER’. “It was 4 hours [of kicking] every day for 6 weeks before we said ‘Action’… I found it very therapeutic, and now I keep up with the training and it’s part of my life.” https://t.co/1d2F35tfZD

— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) October 25, 2026

The numbers are intense. Liang trained for 2 hours every day before traveling to Australia for the shoot, then raised it to 4 hours of kicking daily for 6 weeks before cameras began capturing the fight sequences. She described wearing resistance bands on her legs and learning to balance on the single leg that was constantly kicking in and out.

The routine mixed several disciplines, including Taekwondo, Muay Thai and wushu, with spinning kicks and jumping kicks among the techniques she practiced. She also changed her diet drastically, and reports say she ate around 4,000 calories a day to build muscle. By the end of the shoot, her thighs had reportedly grown by about 2.5 inches each.

She wasn’t alone. Co-star Noah Centineo has said that he, Liang and Andrew Koji trained together 6 days a week for 6 weeks. One signature move has stuck with her, too: Liang has said she can now pull off Chun-Li’s Lightning Kick pretty well on her own.

The training story landed because it reflects how much fans care about authenticity. Chun-Li has been portrayed before, including in the 1994 film and ‘Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li’, and neither earned much critical love. Audiences were watching to see whether this version could finally deliver the speed and precision the games promise.

Many viewers have praised the effort online, with some saying Liang approached the role from a place of love for the character. That goodwill has helped her stand out in a large ensemble that includes Andrew Koji as Ryu, Noah Centineo as Ken, Jason Momoa as Blanka, Roman Reigns as Akuma and Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson as Balrog.

The film, directed by Kitao Sakurai, opened October 16 and debuted at No. 1 with $31 million from 3,575 theaters in North America. It added $20.1 million from 65 international markets for a worldwide opening of $51.1 million. That was the best domestic debut in the franchise’s live-action history, outgrossing the openings of both earlier movies combined.

It wasn’t a flawless launch. The studio had been expecting a mid-$30 millions debut, and the movie carries a reported budget of $82 million, so it would need roughly $205 million worldwide to reach theatrical profitability under a common industry benchmark. Reviews have been mixed, with the film holding around 41% from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, a 79% audience score and a B- CinemaScore.

PERFECT! Watch the New Trailer for Street Fighter, hitting theaters everywhere October 16. https://t.co/jAAPf1k9jf

— Street Fighter Movie (@Street_Fighter) September 1, 2026

Even so, the performances and fight work have drawn attention. For Liang, the real payoff may be that a demanding role turned into a lasting routine. Not many actors walk away from a franchise shoot still hitting the training floor out of choice.

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