Callina Liang Transformed Her Physique for ‘Street Fighter,’ She Added 6.5cm to Her Thighs for Chun-Li

Video game adaptations live and die by whether audiences believe the actors playing these hyper-stylized characters. For fighting game fans especially, physical authenticity can make or break how a casting choice is received before a single frame of footage even reaches theaters.

That pressure has been especially pronounced for Callina Liang, who takes on the role of Chun-Li in the upcoming live-action ‘Street Fighter‘ movie. As the franchise’s first female playable character and one of gaming’s most recognizable fighters, Chun-Li’s design, particularly her famously powerful legs, has always carried enormous symbolic weight for longtime fans.

That pressure appears to have shaped just how far Liang was willing to go in preparation. According to details she shared, the actress physically transformed her body ahead of filming, reportedly growing her thighs by 6.5 centimeters each through an intense combination of martial arts training and a dramatically altered diet.

Her training regimen reportedly combined Taekwondo, Muay Thai, and Wushu, amounting to roughly two hours of practice per day aimed at building both the strength and movement style associated with Chun-Li’s kick-based combat. Alongside that physical conditioning, Liang described significantly increasing her food intake during a bulking phase, describing the process as demanding enough that she found herself nearing the point of illness at times.

Liang’s preparation reportedly went beyond diet and training. She described downloading every available version of ‘Street Fighter’ onto a PS5 and recording Chun-Li’s in-game movements in slow motion so she could study and replicate them, an approach aimed at making her performance feel authentic to players who’ve spent decades with the character.

That level of dedication has already sparked significant online conversation since details emerged, with fans reacting strongly to both the physical transformation and the broader commitment behind it. For a franchise built on decades of fan expectation, that kind of visible effort tends to carry real weight heading into release.

Liang isn’t the first actress to portray Chun-Li on screen, following performances by Ming-Na Wen and Kristin Kreuk in earlier ‘Street Fighter’ projects, but she’s stepping into the role at a moment when live-action video game adaptations face heightened scrutiny for faithfulness to source material. The upcoming film also features Andrew Koji as Ryu and Noah Centineo as Ken, joining a cast built to satisfy a fanbase that’s watched the franchise attempt big-screen success before with mixed results.

Whether Liang’s transformation translates into a performance that resonates with longtime players remains to be seen once the film reaches theaters. For now, though, her preparation has already become one of the more talked-about behind-the-scenes stories surrounding the project.

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