(L to R) Jharrel Jerome and Anthony Robles talk ‘Unstoppable’.
Opening in theaters on December 6th before premiering on Prime Video January 16th is the new sports drama ‘Unstoppable’, which is based on the true story of 2011 NCAA Wrestling Champion Anthony Robles.
Marking the directorial debut of Oscar winning editor William Goldenberg (‘Argo’), the film stars Jharrel Jerome (‘Moonlight’) as Robles, as well as Jennifer Lopez (‘Hustlers’), Bobby Cannavale (‘Motherless Brooklyn’), Michael Peña (‘The Martian’), and Don Cheadle (‘Iron Man 3’).
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Jharrel Jerome and Anthony Robles about their work on ‘Unstoppable’, what it means to Jerome personally to tell Robles incredible true story, working with the accomplished cast of actors, and Robles’ experience having a movie made about his life.
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Jharrel Jerome (Anthony Robles) in ‘Unstoppable’. Photo Credit: Ana Carballosa/Prime Video.
Moviefone: To begin with, Jharrel, what has it meant to you personally to have the opportunity to meet Anthony and tell his story on screen and as an actor, what was the most challenging aspect of this project for you?
Jharrel Jerome: I mean, this project I think is the most important thing I’ve done up until now in my life, especially because I’ve been involved with this for five years now. I met Anthony back in 2019. I just turned 22, I’m 27 now. So, this has become larger than life. This has become larger than my career, and this isn’t just a role I approached. This was a life-changing experience for me, all the way down to my physicality, which in turn leads to my mental health and my self-care, how I communicate, and how I speak. That all just comes from observing Anthony, I promise you, you can’t be in a room with this guy for 10 minutes and not want to go lift some weights or go try something new in life. That’s just the power he holds. It’s not often you get to do a role that truly changes you the way this did. So, I’m grateful, very grateful.
(L to R) Director William Goldenberg, Anthony Robles and Jharrel Jerome (Anthony Robles) in Unstoppable’. Photo Credit: Ana Carballosa/Prime Video.
MF: Anthony, what is it like having a movie made about your own life and did you have any advice for Jharrel about playing you when starting this project?
Anthony Robles: The experiences, it was just exciting and terrifying going through it because your whole story’s being told, not just the happy moments, it’s the painful moments as well that are going to be shared. So, finding that balance of everything and just finding a group of people that would respect my family and the struggles that we went through and portray it in the way to where we could say, “Yeah, we’re okay. We’re proud of sharing this because this is our story.” So, to see the finished product now, I’m very excited. I’m very proud of it and happy with how it turned out because I can honestly say that is our story up there. As far as giving Jharrel advice, honestly, I really didn’t have to give him advice. As he mentioned, we met back in 2019, so we just developed this friendship and this brotherhood. For him, he was just focused on those little details about me. I didn’t even realize that. I’m just living my life. I’m just hanging out. I’m just having fun with my friends, and he’s observing these things as we’re going throughout the process. So, it was neat for me to be able to sit back on set and just really know and trust that Jharrel, he was going to take care of business out there. He made me proud, and I just trusted him 100% with my story and sharing from my perspective.
(L to R) Anthony Robles (Jharrel Jerome) and Jennifer Lopez (Judy Robles) in ‘Unstoppable’. Photo Credit: Ana Carballosa/Prime Video.
MF: Finally, Jharrel, you are surrounded by an excellent cast that includes Jennifer Lopez, Don Cheadle, Michael Peña and Bobby Cannavale, just to name a few. What was it like for you to get to work with them and what did you learn from watching the way they work?
JJ: I mean, it’s a dream come true. When I got the call, I had mixed feelings. Half of me was very excited and thinking this is going to be an honor. But the other half was, I was terrified, especially when I heard about Don. This is somebody I hold to a very high standard as an actor and hope to emulate his path as an actor. So, it kind of made me up my ante. It kind of gave me an aggressive edge and a push that I needed. As for what I learned from them, it wasn’t specific. The way Don can live in the character as if he’s lived in his whole life, it’s so impressive to me. Then the way Jen can shut off the mega stardom and the world and just zone in and focus. Michael and Bobby’s approach to taking a one-dimensional sort of character and putting elements to it, it’s just incredible. It makes you just want to continue to work with top-tier actors and it just ups your game.
What is the plot of ‘Unstoppable’?
With the unwavering love and support of his devoted mother Judy (Jennifer Lopez) and the encouragement of his coaches, Anthony Robles (Jharrel Jerome) fights through adversity to earn a spot on the Arizona State Wrestling team. But it will demand everything he has, physically and mentally, to achieve his ultimate quest to become an NCAA Champion.
Who is in the cast of ‘Unstoppable’?
- Jharrel Jerome as Anthony Robles
- Jennifer Lopez as Judy Robles
- Bobby Cannavale as Rich
- Michael Peña as Bobby Williams
- Don Cheadle as Sean Charles
- Shawn Hatosy as Tom Brands
Anthony Robles (Jharrel Jerome) in ‘Unstoppable’. Photo Credit: Ana Carballosa/Prime Video.