Jharrell Jerome

Amazon MGM Studios' latest work Unstoppable is an inspiring story about the life of Anthony Robles who was born without a right leg. This birth defect didn’t stop him from winning the national championship in 2011 and this feature film gives a startling behind-the-scenes look at his challenges.

The story is based on the book Unstoppable: From Underdog to Undefeated: How I Became a Champion written by Anthony Robles and Austin Murphy. Eric Champnella adapted the memoir for a big-screen debut and avoids the pitfalls that come along with sports dramas.

Not to be confused with the 2010 Denzel Washington flick, this Unstoppable isn’t about a train, it’s about the human spirit and the obstacles people sometimes face.

Jharrel Jerome stars as Anthony Robles and Jennifer Lopez plays his onscreen mother, Judy. Jerome debuted in Moonlight and won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie for Netflix’s When They See Us.

The young performer can also rap and has released several singles in the past.

Unstoppable is already garnering him praise after he was honored with the Performer Award from the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival Tribute Awards. He joined the real-life Robles in Chicago to talk about this film filled with resilience.

JN: (Jerry Nunn) Start off talking about how involved you were in the process of being the subject matter, Anthony.

AR: (Anthony Robles) It was an honor and I was able to be involved with it from the very beginning of everything. I helped with writing the script with the revisions and the director William Goldenberg asked me to help him with scenes by giving my input.

That was huge for my family and it helped to put us at ease. Any concerns that we had with the script he told us to just let him know and he will change it. He wanted us to be proud of it. They were true to their word. That was very special to me and my family.

JN: How did you hear about this project, Jharrel?

JJ: (Jharrel Jerome) That was so long ago and a week after I won the Emmy Award in 2018. This was before COVID and the writer’s strike so that is the irony in the title Unstoppable. We were stopped twice before we made it through!

This was the first time I ever got a phone call to be asked to play a role without auditioning.

JN: That means you are on a whole new level.

JJ: It was cool. I was immediately on board once I got wind of it. I didn’t know much about college wrestling. It’s not very popular in New York City in the five boroughs.

For me, there was a lot of research involved.

JN: I have to ask you about Moonlight, Jharrel because I’m gay! How was that experience?

JJ: It was the first thing I ever did. I was 18 years old and it was over eight years ago. It was a beautiful way for me to enter the industry in my opinion. It showed the range that I would like to have as an actor. It stretched and pulled me in ways that I never thought about before.

It was the first time I had been on a film set in my life, so first time to saw the clicker and heard “action.” There were lights and cameras with someone like Barry Jenkins, let alone any director, being my first director.

I was young, green and terrified. Everything on the set was very new to me. Once that happened and it flourished into what it did that made me believe in myself as an actor to show range and tell a brave story.

JN: Were you intimidated by Unstoppable?

JJ: Terrified again. It’s one thing to craft the character where I can make stuff up, but this is me playing a real person.

JN: That’s a lot to live up to.

JJ: Yes and the pressure was there. There was a lot of justice to be done, so I treated it with fragility and care. I loved this process because sometimes actors who play a real person can only go on YouTube or have a 30-minute phone call with the person to prepare, but I have spent years with Anthony. He was my stuntman and body double the whole time.

JN: I didn’t know that.

JJ: Yeah, he was number 1A on the call sheet. Every time I was there for around 14 hours he was also there. I was able to study him without even studying.

JN: I interviewed Michael Pena with his band Nico Vega at Lollapalooza this year. How was working with him in the part of Bobby Williams?

JJ: Awesome. Getting to work with him and all of the actors was top-tier. I grew up watching people like Michael. When 30 Minutes or Less came out I was 13 years old and I am a big fan of all of the work he’s done.

For me this was also part of the added pressure I mentioned before. I was working with people who are so incredible at their craft. It made me want to step up and deliver as honest and authentic as I could do. I haven’t seen him in a while since he hasn’t been on these press runs.

JN: J Lo was standout in her part in that scene towards the end of the movie.

JJ: She was very focused. She spent time with Judy and wanted to do her story justice.

I also want to commend Billy Goldenberg as a first-time director. He was very good with speaking to the actors and us getting to the right place.

JN: How did your mom feel about Jennifer Lopez playing her, Anthony?

AR: It was the ultimate compliment right there. She was so proud and excited to have the opportunity. I saw the way she and Jennifer hit it off when they were talking. Jennifer genuinely cared about portraying my mom in the right way.

To see my mom, as my hero, being shown in that light was what I always wanted. It wasn’t just about my story. It was her story as well and what she was able to overcome in her life. To have this alpha play my mom who is also an alpha was really cool to see.

JN: Talk about how your home life affected your journey in sports.

AR: There were several challenges and my home situation with my former stepfather was one of them. At the same time, my life at home was something I derived my strength from, mainly from my siblings and definitely from my mom. Maneuvering through that was a challenge, but it bonded our family in a way that I am blessed to talk about now. Everyone has something to cling to and for me, it was my family, even though it was up and down. My faith in my family got me here today and to the top of that podium. I am grateful for them.

JN: How do you feel about the possible trophies that are coming for you during awards season, Jharrel?

JJ: It would be cool because I would feel like Anthony Robles on the night of the NCAA tournament that night. It would be a full-circle moment for us.

For me, it’s not really about that. I don’t want to give a corny answer, but I am very happy with the accolades I have been able to achieve.

If I looked at those I wouldn’t be able to give the performance that I have been able to give. It’s not about the payoff as much as it is about the work. If the payoff ends up being a congratulation on the work then it’s a chef’s kiss.

I am traveling the country right now and getting on planes to hop around with Anthony. We met in 2020 and shook hands. We were both nervous and not sure what we were getting into. Now we are here!

JN: Have y’all been to Chicago in the past?

JJ: This is my first time.

AR: I have been a few times before.

JN: It’s a great city with a fantastic film festival to attend for this movie.

JJ: I have been to a lot of places but the New Yorker in me can feel it. It feels not far from home.

JN: What would you like audiences to take away from Unstoppable?

AR: I want them to take away exactly what the title of Unstoppable means. That word is for everyone if they are willing to take it.

We are all wrestling with challenges. It might be something we can see or something that we can’t see. There will always be an opponent. Throughout that, you just have to have the right mentality.

My mom and my coach always said to focus on the things that I was capable of and the blessings I had, which were my strengths. Those were my advantages to build on.

That is what Unstoppable is to me. Find the way by figuring out the puzzle of life and get your arms raised at the end of the day.

JN: You are so inspiring to be around. What would like audiences to take from it, Jharrel?

JJ: Everything that he said in terms that it’s so much more than a wrestling movie. It’s a mother-and-son film as well. Viewers don’t have to know a single thing about the sport of wrestling to love and relate to this film. We all have a mother and a relationship with that mother wherever that is. We might not all have kids, but we know what it’s like to have a parent-and-child relationship.

The relationship in this film is so strong and solid that hopefully it inspires those broken relationships to be healed and fixed. This film shows how a family can bond and mold together.

I hope people go with their families to the movies and leave with a sense of solidarity.

Unstoppable stops for a limited theatrical release beginning on Friday, December 6, 2024, before a streaming Prime Video release on Nunn’s birthday on January 16, 2025.