Ryan Destiny "instantly hit it off" with her co-star Brian Tyree Henry when they met just before filming The Fire Inside.
The new biographical sports drama depicts the early years of Claressa Shields, the first American woman to win Olympic gold in boxing, and focuses on her relationship with her coach Jason Crutchfield and their close father-daughter-style bond.
Discussing her connection with Henry, Destiny told Cover Media that they met a few days before shooting and thankfully "hit it off" straight away.
"It came very organically... we just instantly hit it off, luckily. It was one of those things that naturally happened," she shared. "He's become like a brother and I think thankfully it shows on the screen. So it was really, really fun. I wouldn't have been able to do it without him, for sure."
Destiny went to praise the Atlanta star for lifting up all of his co-stars with his energy and positive attitude.
"He really does make everyone else around him a better performer," she gushed. "He's also this big ball of this light and energy and fun so he brings a really good energy to the set. I think having all that is just a great recipe for doing great work."
The 30-year-old also named their key argument scene as one of the sequences she was most proud of.
Elsewhere during the interview, Destiny shared that she and the real Shields exchanged numbers so they could ask each other questions but they didn't meet in person until after the boxer had seen the film.
The actress admitted that she didn't want to be there when Shields watched her performance because she was too nervous but director Rachel Morrison recorded the athlete's first reaction afterwards.
"Thankfully, she loved it and it was really meaningful and she was so impressed by Ryan's transformation and the boxing," Morrison recalled. "I'm so glad, I took out my phone and took a video of her first reaction and it's something I think I'll carry with me always."
The Fire Inside will be released in U.K. and Irish cinemas on 7 February.
