Chun-Li star ate 12 eggs a day, grew thighs 6.5cm for Street Fighter

Callina Liang, who plays Chun-Li in Legendary's upcoming Street Fighter movie, told Empire she ate 12 eggs daily while bulking, trained two hours a day in martial arts, and grew each thigh 6.5 centimeters to match the iconic fighter. She also downloaded every Street Fighter game onto a PS5 and studied Chun-Li's moves in slow motion.

The physical and technical prep behind the Street Fighter movie has become a breakout story ahead of the film's October 16, 2026 release. Liang's comments, reported by IGN and other outlets, show how far the cast is going to deliver a game-accurate Chun-Li on the big screen.

Key Takeaways

• Callina Liang ate 12 eggs a day and meals every two hours while bulking for Chun-Li.
• Daily Taekwondo, Muay Thai, and wushu training grew each thigh 6.5 centimeters by shoot's end.
• Liang recorded every version of Chun-Li's moves from Street Fighter games in slow motion on a PS5.
• Legendary's Street Fighter movie opens in theaters on October 16, 2026.

Why Did Callina Liang Change Her Diet for Chun-Li?

Chun-Li's signature look centers on powerful, kick-driven legs built up across decades of Street Fighter games. Liang told Empire that getting the physique right meant overhauling how she ate and trained.

"Chun-Li is all kicks," Liang said. "So we did a bunch of Taekwondo training, Muay Thai, and wushu. I did two hours of that a day and strengthened my legs a lot and changed my diet drastically."

During her bulking phase, Liang consumed 12 eggs every day and ate a meal every two hours. She said she was "on the verge of throwing up," but added that the regimen worked: by the end of the shoot, each thigh had grown six-and-a-half centimeters.

How Did Liang Study Chun-Li's Fighting Moves?

Matching Chun-Li's body was only part of the job. Liang also wanted her on-screen fighting to reflect the character's in-game animations as closely as possible.

"I downloaded every single version of Street Fighter onto a PS5 and I recorded all of Chun-Li's moves during fights on my phone in slow-mo, so I could play them back and study them," she told Empire.

That homework spanned the full history of the franchise, from older entries through recent releases like Street Fighter 6. Yahoo noted that director Kitao Sakurai has said he did not want a "conventional" video game movie, raising expectations that the film will capture Street Fighter's wild, larger-than-life tone.

When Does the Street Fighter Movie Hit Theaters?

Legendary's Street Fighter adaptation is scheduled for a theatrical release on October 16, 2026. It follows another major Capcom adaptation in 2026: Zach Cregger's Resident Evil, which begins screenings on September 18.

Liang is not the only cast member going deep on research. David Dastmalchian, who plays M. Bison, told IGN he studied historical dictators to shape a cult-leader take on the psycho-powered villain. For Chun-Li fans, though, Liang's egg-heavy diet, leg growth, and slow-motion game study have already set a high bar for authenticity.

What Does Liang's Preparation Mean for Fans?

Video game adaptations often draw skepticism when casting or choreography drifts from source material. Liang's account suggests Legendary's Street Fighter movie is aiming for a different standard—one where the First Lady of Fighting Games both looks and moves like her digital counterpart.

Whether audiences see signature attacks such as the Hyakuretsukyaku or Spinning Bird Kick on screen remains to be seen. What is clear now is that the actor behind Chun-Li put in the work before cameras rolled.