Anthony Robles, a former wrestling champion born with one leg, is seeing his remarkable life story unfold on the big screen in the new film “Unstoppable.” The movie, which premieres on Prime Video on Jan. 16, stars Jharrel Jerome as Robles and features Jennifer Lopez as his mother, Judy Robles. The film chronicles Robles’ journey from high school wrestling phenom to national champion at Arizona State University.
Robles, who was born without a right leg and no stump for a prosthetic, defied the odds to become a state and national wrestling champion. “I had those dreams and aspirations to be the best,” Robles said. “One thing I learned about wrestling was it’s a humbling sport. My first year of competition I was nowhere near the top of the podium. But that gave me the motivation to train for it because I wanted to not only prove myself right, but I wanted to prove all those other people wrong who doubted me.”
In the film, Robles not only served as an adviser but also as a stunt double for Jerome during key wrestling scenes. “We called it a ‘violent dance,’” Robles said. “To have a new perspective and to create something beautiful, intense, and ferocious was just incredible for me.”
Robles’ mother, Judy, played a pivotal role in his life and is portrayed by Jennifer Lopez in the film. “She’s my role model,” Robles said. “In a lot of ways, she was both my mom and my dad, and she had to bear a heavy load on her own.” Judy Robles, who continued her education while raising her children, now works as the associate director of student/athlete experience and family programs at Arizona State University.
The film, directed by William Goldenberg, is based on Robles’ book, “Unstoppable: From Underdog to Undefeated: How I Became a Champion.” Despite the challenges of condensing five years of Robles’ life into a two-hour film, the movie aims to inspire audiences to overcome their own obstacles. “It still doesn’t feel like a reality to me right now,” Robles said. “To have people reaching out just saying how much it inspired them, how it touches them – that was my ultimate goal.”
Robles, who now works as a motivational speaker and wrestling coach, hopes the film will inspire the next generation of wrestlers facing similar challenges. “I had to create a whole new style of wrestling with the help of my coaches,” he said. “To be able to do that now and help with the next generation of wrestlers with similar challenges is very special.”
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