MadameNoire Featured Video

Source: Blair Caldwell / Courtesy of Brand

Ryan Destiny delivers a transformative performance as two-time Olympic champion Claressa Shields in The Fire Inside, a film that vividly captures the grit, resilience, and triumph of one of the greatest athletes of our time. Portraying Shields required Destiny to push her physical and emotional boundaries, from intense boxing training to understanding the profound layers of Shields’ life and relationships. In this exclusive interview for MadameNoire, Destiny opens up about the pressures and rewards of embodying a living legend and amplifying the voices of women athletes.

Director Rachel Morrison, who makes her stunning directorial debut with this film, shares how Shields’ story and the resilience of her hometown of Flint, Michigan, inspired her vision. “Flint’s resilience was an inspiration, and capturing that authenticity was a hill I was willing to die on,” Morrison reflected. Together, Destiny and Morrison crafted a cinematic masterpiece that celebrates the spirit of women athletes, the …