"The Fire Inside" has been years in the making. The Rachel Morrison-directed drama (in theaters now) tells the story of Claressa "T-Rex" Shields, the Flint, Mich., native who became the first American to win an Olympic gold medal in boxing.

On Christmas Day, the world will get reintroduced to Olympic boxing champion Claressa Shields and her inspiring journey in the new film, “The Fire Inside.” And while the movie is sure to shed some new light on a somewhat hidden figure onscreen—offscreen stars Ryan Destiny,

Ryan Destiny and Brian Tyree Henry became best friends while working on The Fire Inside. The film is based on the real story of Claressa Shields, who rose to boxing prominence thanks to her own talent and the efforts of her eccentric coach,

Ryan Destiny said her role playing iconic female boxer Claressa "T-Rex" Shields in "The Fire Inside" helped her develop a new level of trust in herself as an actress. "I think I found a lot of trust in myself.