Inspired by the true story of athlete Anthony Robles, who was born with one leg but whose unbreakable resolve empowered him to defy the odds and pursue his dreams, Unstoppable is an inspiring drama that speaks to the strength of one’s indomitable spirit.
As the film arrives to motivate audiences across the world with its landing on Prime Video (you can read our review here), our Peter Gray was invited to participate in the global press conference, hearing the real-life Robles’, Anthony and his supportive mother Judy Robles, their on-screen counterparts, Jharrel Jerome and Jennifer Lopez, and director William Goldenberg discuss bringing the story to the screen, the importance of authenticity, and navigating emotional pacing.
Anthony, we have your incredible memoir of this story, and now this film. How long was the process to finally telling your story in this way? And what has it been like to see your life story portrayed by these incredible actors?
Anthony Robles: It’s been an incredible journey. It’s definitely been a long process. I think I initially met Jharrel back in 2019, but to see this finished product? It was well worth the wait. To see this amazing cast, with Jharrel, Jennifer, Don Cheadle, Michael Pena, Bobby Cannavale. They captured everybody in my life so perfectly. It’s the little things that make them them. All those little details were really neat to see. I can honestly say that’s my life up there. That’s my family life. And I could not be more proud of how it was told. I just want to thank everyone who was involved in this, because it’s so beautifully done.
Same question to you, Judy. How has it been seeing Jharrel and Jennifer capture that special relationship that you and Anthony have?
Judy Robles: Yeah, it’s been pretty unbelievable how well that they captured the relationship that Anthony and I share. I mean, Anthony and I have had this unbreakable bond since he was born, and we’ve developed over time. But for them to put so much time and effort into making sure that we’re represented authentically? It’s meant a lot to us. Just the gestures, the looks, everything like that. Jennifer had a tonne of questions for me, (because) it was important she portrayed me exactly as I am. Not just as the mom who loves Anthony, but as the strength and the protectiveness that I showed a lot of time. I really appreciated the effort that both of them put into it. I was just overwhelmed.
I felt everything that Jennifer was showing me on screen. Every moment I remembered. I’ve seen the film seven or eight times now, but I still cry, and it still brings me joy, because there’s nobody that could have done it better than Jennifer. Honestly, I’m grateful that she wanted to portray me the way she did. It was so authentic and real.
Jennifer, what it’s like to hear that? And what went into making that portrayal so authentic?
Jennifer Lopez: It makes me want to cry, too. A lot went into it. I think in the sense of really trying to absorb everything that Judy shared with me. It really is to her credit, how open and vulnerable she was. It’s not an easy thing to put your life out there in the public eye. I know that. And so that was something that was key to me, to be able to tell her story in the best way. If she was just trying to tell me, like, “Oh, everything was great all the time”, we never would have gotten to the core of how incredibly triumphant the story is.
It really is the struggles that they had as a mother, as a son, as a wife, all the things, and just as a woman. To bring all of that together to really create the full person you see here. And that person is equal parts amazing and, at the same time, complicated and complex as any woman and mother is.
Jharrel, what did that look like for you? Especially at first, in terms of capturing that family bond that Anthony and Judy have?
Jharrel Jerome: Yeah, I realised very early on that wrestling is the last thing that makes up Anthony. We know him as a wrestler. We know him as a champion. But you get to know him, and that kind of goes away and you forget that he is a beast on the mat. He’s such a protector. He’s such a kind soul. And it’s almost the opposite of who he is on the mat. He holds everything inside to make sure that everything is at peace and everything is stable. And I think that’s a testament to him as a person and as a man, and what he’s been through in his life, and all the adversity he’s faced, as opposed to facing it outwards. He’s always faced it inward.
And Judy has been the strength of that. (She’s) protected him in all the ways of that. So when Jen and I spoke early on, we knew this wasn’t this fluffy, mom and son “Let’s just get this done” thing. We knew that we had to show the bond and the chemistry that they truly have, because there’s no Anthony Robles without Judy Robles.
It really does feel like one big family. Anthony, from your perspective, what was it like being both a part of the family as yourself, but also working with Jharrel as his double? How was it navigating both of those spaces simultaneously?
Anthony Robles: It was definitely a new experience for me. But going through this whole process working with Jharrel, his attention to the little details that made me me, it really made it easy for me to just naturally start to open up to him. We started to build this relationship, this brotherhood, to where I was just so trusting in him. I was able to open up about certain feelings and certain painful memories that I wouldn’t otherwise talk about. It just came naturally.
And being on the mat as a double working with Jharrel on the wrestling, that’s what I know. I know the technical side of wrestling. But for Jharrel to learn these things? Not just how to wrestle, which is difficult, but the unique style of wrestling with one leg, he really committed to learning those little things about me on how I moved on the mat. It was exciting to see, and a blessing, because the world can see what I could truly do on the mat.
Judy, did you notice any nuances that Jennifer brought to the screen that you maybe weren’t expecting?
Judy Robles: Oh, the scene that comes to mind, and Anthony’s probably going to know what I’m talking about, but it’s when she lunges in the stands. No one expected that when it was happening. But when I saw it, I was like, “Oh, I totally would have done that.” I’ve been to the degree of wanting to do that, yeah, but I have yelled at people. Sorry, Anthony (laughs).
One of my friends saw (the film) and they told me that they couldn’t believe that I’d never been kicked out of a wrestling match. The love was definitely captured. I loved it. But I also think it’s the protectiveness that she caught when I’m watching Anthony and just wanting him to see love.
William Goldenberg: It was one of my favourite moments on the set, when we did that, and Judy was sitting right outside the camera. I walked up to her and looked at her and put my thumb up. She just looked at me, like, “Exactly.” (Laughs). I’ll never forget.
Jennifer Lopez: The whole crowd was a little bit…they thought I was actually fighting with somebody for real. Nobody knew I was going to do that. It was very funny. It was a real wrestler’s mom (reaction).
William, this is your big directorial debut as a feature filmmaker. Coming from an editing background, how did that experience shape your approach to directing this film? Particularly in building the emotional pacing and ensuring that moments like that shine, but don’t overtake the story you’re telling.
William Goldenberg: (Editing) is all I’ve ever done, so I had to bring a lot of that to the film. I think it really helped me, in terms of knowing when I’ve got a performance, knowing what angels I need to (use) to make a scene work. It’s using those instincts. But when I’m watching the monitor, watching the dailies, when I’m editing…all of that plays a part in telling the story. My technical knowledge and in terms of knowing visual effects and how that world works, that was incredibly helpful, too.
Jharrel Jerome: I love hearing him speak about himself as a director. He’s always wondering how he’s doing as a director. I think that’s what made him care so much about (the film). And it’s what made him so picky about the details and the little moments. He doesn’t know how much I love that about him. It was just cool to watch him learn. But at the same time, he wasn’t learning. His feet were on the ground. He was in control and confident.
The only time I ever saw him freak out was in the hiking scene. Remember? That was the one time I saw him lose it. But it was so understandable. But I realised that we were four weeks into shooting, and now he’s losing it? Because I’ve been losing it, so it’s just a testament to who he is as a director and a captain on our set.
Unstoppable is now available to stream on Prime Video.
