An “Unstoppable” Bond with Jharrell Jerome and Jennifer Lopez
Article written by Elaina Crockett
With his gentle spirit and sincere dedication to the craft, Jharrell Jerome is a young actor well beyond his years. Many would say his most notable role was that of Korey Wise in Netflix’s miniseries “When They See Us” (created and produced by Ava DuVernay and Oprah Winfrey). His poignant and painful portrayal of Wise blurred the line between the actor and real-life person he portrayed.
Anthony Robles, American wrestler who won the 2011 NCAA individual wrestling national championship.
In “Unstoppable” (to be released Jan. 16 on Amazon Prime), Jerome has done it again! Playing Anthony Robles, an accomplished wrestler, Nike athlete, and motivational speaker, who just so happens to have been born with one leg.
“Unstoppable,” directed by William Goldenberg and an adaptation of Roble’s homonymous biography, is as much about the journey to become a champion as it is about the sacred bond between mother and child. Jennifer Lopez portrays Judy Robles, who gave birth to Anthony at the tender age of 16. As a single mother of a disabled child (only in the technical sense, she never limited his ability), she was adamant about Anthony seeing his disability as a gift from God and told him he could accomplish anything he put his mind to.
Naturally, with his determination and love for the sport, Anthony turned to wrestling. On Dec. 10, during a virtual press conference that included Judy and Anthony, as well as Jennifer Lopez and Jharell Jerome, both actors discussed their approach to embodying their roles with delicacy, protection, and, most importantly, authenticity.
Both actors met the Robles family in 2019. Working this intimately for this long ensured that Jharrell got to know Anthony on and off the mat.
Seated next to Anthony, Jharrell beamed: “Wrestling is the last thing that makes up Anthony...He is such a protector and kind soul. It’s almost the opposite of who he is on the mat.” Anthony smiled modestly; his presence is that of humility, along with a quiet strength and courage that commands stadiums, ESPN tables, classrooms, and today, even Zoom interviews.
It’s important to note Anthony is not only the writer and producer of “Unstoppable,” but he plays Jharrell’s double on the mat, which is understandable. Who else would move quite like he does considering Anthony is a beast? In 2011, he won the NCAA Division I Individual Wrestling National Championship. He was also a three-time NCAA All-American and three-time Pac-10 Conference Champion as well as being inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2012.
Amazingly, this is only one side of the Robles story. Anthony heavily emphasized that he would not be the man he currently is if it weren’t for his mother. “The human spirit can overcome anything. There are times when you feel you are at your breaking point. 99% of the world doubted me but my mom is the only one who didn’t,” he remarked, which understandably brought Judy to tears.
“There is no Anthony Robles without Judy Robles”
Judy could not be more proud. She spoke about Anthony’s countless wrestling matches as a kid and how she had to restrain herself from lunging onto the mat and defending her son. She spoke about the initial fear she had when a young Anthony expressed wanting to become a wrestler. She reminded viewers that she was just a teenager when she had Anthony, and in many ways, they grew up together.
Judy felt no one could do a better job portraying her than Jennifer Lopez, and the two bonded over the maternal and protective love they have for their children that truly knows no bounds.
“It’s been pretty unbelievable how well they capture the relationship Anthony and I share,” said Judy. “We’ve had this unbreakable bond since he was born and we developed it over time but for them to put so much time and effort into making sure we were represented authentically meant a lot to us.”
And spending countless hours on and off set for the last six years, will beget this kind of camaraderie for one another. Jharrell even points out that he learned how to be a better man just by observing Anthony. Jennifer Lopez credits Judy’s openness, in allowing her to have a genuine portrayal.
“[This film] is about the struggles she had,” Jennifer Lopez adds. “As a mother, as a woman, to create a full person that you see here who is equal parts amazing and complicated and complex as any woman is.”
Judy continued, “Jennifer had a ton of questions for me but it was important because she portrayed me as I am. Not just a mom who loves Anthony, but also the strength and protectiveness that was shown a lot of the time. I was overwhelmed because I felt everything Jennifer was portraying on screen. I’ve seen it seven, eight, times but I still cry.”
Actors Jharrell Jerome and Jennifer Lopez
This kind of closeness was most important to William, the director, who didn’t want this to just be another sports film. “This is not a wrestling film. This is about a mother and a son and their undying love. This made the story unique in the sports movie genre. They’ve become one big family,” he emphasized.
This family bond made it all worth the wait, as that’s the first thing Anthony felt when he saw the finished film for the first time.
When asked what he wants people to take away most from the story, Jharrell said, “Film has always been an escape/medicine. It’s always been a way to fall into a story. There’s a burden and darkness over us. This story uplifts you out of that. You aren’t alone in the struggle you are going through. I learned to complain less about the things I don’t have.” Anthony, Judy, Jennifer, and William couldn’t help but silently agree.
“We have each other. We have family. This is the film that reminds us of that,” said Jerrome.
“Unstoppable” is available January 16 on Amazon Prime.