The new Prime Video film Unstoppable tells the inspiring story of wrestling champion Anthony Robles played by Jharrel Jerome.
Source: Courtesy / Amazon MGM Studios
The movie dives deep into the triumphs and challenges that have shaped Robles’ extraordinary journey, including poverty and a physical disability (he was born with one leg). The film also stars Jennifer Lopez as Anthony’s mother and Bobby Cannavale as his stepdad, while Michael Peña and Don Cheadle play his high school and college coaches respectively
BOSSIP Sr. Content Director Janeé Bolden spoke with Anthony and Jharrel about the emotional experience of bringing this story to the screen, the bonds they formed, and the raw truth behind the film.
Anthony Robles Was Excited And Terrified Watching His Life Story Be Told
Anthony Robles admitted that seeing his life unfold on screen was both thrilling and nerve-wracking.
“It was a mixture of just excitement and also fear,” Anthony told BOSSIP. “A movie about your life story—it’s amazing, but then just having to open up about the scars, about the painful moments—that really terrified me. But luckily, we had such an amazing group of people who cared about our feelings, mine and my family’s, and they want to tell this story in the right way. It really helped me to get comfortable.”
Anthony spoke highly of Jharrel’s dedication to portraying him authentically.
“To be on set with him, for him to really just focus on those little details that made me—me, that was something very special and it meant a lot to me. I think, you know, we developed this organic friendship and brotherhood, and so I’m just blessed. I could not have asked for a better person to play me in my life story. This man is amazing.”
Source: Mike Marsland / Getty
Jharrel Jerome Had To Learn Wrestling For Role
Jharrel Jerome shared the many lessons he learned while stepping into Anthony’s shoes.
“It’s almost like, what didn’t I learn?” Jharrel said. “I learned how to wrestle to start. Just the appreciation of the sport, the understanding of the sport and how it could apply to me as a person and just I learned my own physicality, you know? I learned what I can do for myself physically. Getting in the gym and I think I sort of stretched and pulled myself in multiple ways that I hadn’t done before. That kind of gives me that sort of push for my next project. That makes me excited to see what else I can do.”
The role also offered Jharrel a chance to learn more about Anthony’s world.
“I learned a little bit about Arizona, I learned a little bit about carne asada, I learned a little bit about a whole lot,” Jharrel added. “Just being there with Anthony and actually having him there with me so close, it didn’t feel like I was doing a film. It felt like we were just constantly in a boot camp and just hanging out and learning each other and growing with each other. And so when it got to set, a lot of it was sort of authentic and fun.”
‘Unstoppable’ Explores Anthony Robles’ Challenges Beyond The Physical
While Anthony’s physical disability is part of his story, both Anthony and Jharrel agreed that the emotional struggles, particularly Anthony’s relationship with his stepfather, were even more significant.
“I couldn’t agree with you more,” Jharrel said. “When it comes to Anthony’s physical, that’s the last thing, you know, and think when you get to know him and understand him. Anthony’s done a lot of wrestling on the mat and he kicked ass, but there was a lot of wrestling he had to do off the mat.”
Jharrel explained his approach to portraying Anthony’s emotional depth. “For me, it was so important to make sure this wasn’t your typical sports film where your lead guy is just tough all the time and he just sweats and maybe a single tear comes down. I wanted to make sure I caught that vulnerability, what goes beyond the eyes and what goes beyond the sweat and the strain that he has on the mat and at home.”
Source: Eric Charbonneau / Getty
For Anthony, reliving those moments on screen was painful. “For me, just watching the scenes with the stepfather, that was painful,” Anthony said. “It was kind of like reliving those moments and I remember just fighting back tears and rage at the same time. But, you know, just going through this whole process, I spoke to my family and we had long conversations about what we were about to do, what we were about to get into, and sharing those moments, those painful memories.”
Despite the difficulty, Anthony knew the importance of telling the whole story.
“We felt like in order for this to be as relatable as possible and to inspire as many people as possible, we had to be raw. We had to share that pain because that’s what people understand. You know, life isn’t always going to be happy days, it’s not always going to be a nice smooth road. You’re going to face some bumps. You have to deal with pain. You have to deal with getting knocked down, but it’s all about how you come back from that.”
Source: Dave Benett / Getty
Anthony summed up the film’s purpose:
“We knew that this is not about us anymore. We got through it. We fought through as a family. We made it. This is about others out there who might be facing similar challenges—who might be fighting similar opponents, just to show them there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. You know, you can get through this. So that’s what helped us to get through those painful moments—just thinking this is really going to touch somebody someday.”
Unstoppable isn’t just another sports movie. It’s a testament to resilience, vulnerability, and the power of pushing through life’s toughest challenges. The film debuts Thursday, January 16 on Prime Video.
