“Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined this”: Anthony Robles, Jennifer Lopez, Jharrel Jerome, Judy Robles and William Goldenberg on Unstoppable

“Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined this,” said three-time All-American wrestling champion Anthony Robles during the Q&A at the London premiere of Unstoppable, the biographical sports drama chronicling his journey to winning the 2011 NCAA individual wrestling national championship despite being born with one leg. Directed by William Goldenberg, the film stars Jharrel Jerome as Robles and Jennifer Lopez as his supportive mother, Judy, with Robles himself serving as a producer.

Inspired by wrestler Robles’s story, William Goldenberg chose Unstoppable as his directorial debut, marking a stark departure from his darker subjects. After reading Robles’s book, Unstoppable: From Underdog to Undefeated (2012), and spending time with him in his hometown of Mesa, Arizona and seeing people constantly approaching Robles for photos or autographs, Goldenberg was moved by Robles’s ability to inspire. As a lifelong athlete, the director points to the unique sportsmanship in wrestling, where mutual respect prevails and there’s no one-upmanship. He also credits screenwriter John Hindman for seamlessly blending family drama with intense action, making both parts of Robles’s story flow naturally together.

Jharrel Jerome recalls meeting Robles in a gym – a setting Robles chose – in January 2020, before the pandemic and long before the writer’s strike. Despite his initial nerves, Jerome claims he quickly felt at ease as he got to know Robles, and describes their friendship as a “brotherhood” that deepened throughout the years for the film to complete. He adds that Robles served as his body and stunt double, and the two spent the same long hours on set. “It’s almost like a puzzle piece where if one piece was correct, I had to make sure the other piece followed it,” said Jerome about the wrestling portion of his role, highlighting several details in his portrayal, including Robles’s nimbleness on the crutches and distinctive west coast accent. 

After personally introducing the audience to Judy, Jennifer Lopez spoke of feeling “blessed and honoured” to portray her in Unstoppable and highlighted her commitment to capturing Judy’s character authentically. “There was definitely an arc to Judy’s character from when she started,” Lopez explains, “because you don’t see on screen when she was 16, [Anthony] was born without a leg, and that meant she had to grow up really quickly.” Judy’s priority, Lopez says, was to “make sure her children benefited from her life experience as opposed to being brought down by the things that she was struggling with.” Lopez cherished the little “nuggets” of personal experiences Judy shared that allowed her to fully capture Judy’s strength and sacrifices. Spending time with Judy and her son, also made Lopez realise how much the NCAA champion credits his mother for his resilience – a dynamic that she worked with Goldenberg to capture onscreen. Sitting beside her on the panel, Judy reflected on the challenges of being vulnerable and opening up, acknowledging the difficulty of seeing her past mistakes in hindsight. She credits Jennifer Lopez for making the process easier from the start, saying, “She made it easy for me to trust her. She allowed me to share things I’ve never shared with anyone else.”

“I still feel like I’m that kid from Mesa, Arizona, who just began wrestling,” Robles reflected on the surreal experience of seeing his journey on screen and the film’s significance for his family, particularly his young son. Despite initial concerns about how his story would be told, Robles praised Goldenberg for his generous and respectful approach. Finally, he expresses his gratitude to Jerome, who assured him from day one of his commitment to making him proud, and Lopez for her portrayal of Judy, whom he calls his hero, that allows audiences to finally see her as he does.

Christina Yang

Unstoppable is released nationwide on 6^th December 2024.

Watch the trailer for Unstoppable here: