What is the true story behind ‘Unstoppable’? Wrestling champ Anthony Robles breaks it down
“Unstoppable,” based on the real-life story of wrestling champion Anthony Robles is one of resilience, strength and proving people wrong.
Jharrel Jerome embodies the athlete, who despite being born with one leg, won the 2011 NCAA individual wrestling national championship in the 125-pound weight class. Don Cheadle, Michael Peña, Bobby Cannavale and Jennifer Lopez, as Robles’ mother Judy Robles, co-star.
Anthony Robles tells TODAY.com that he was “just blown away” when he heard his life story was being made into a movie, yet had some hesitations.
“I was really excited initially, but the more I thought about it the more nervous I got. It kind of turned into me being terrified about the whole process just because I realized, at that moment, that not only my story, but my family story, would be told to the world,” Anthony Robles explains. “And that included the painful moments, the things that we weren’t comfortable sharing.”
After he and his mother agreed to move forward with the project, they decided that their ultimate goal was to motivate people and “be as true as possible with our entire story,” he says.
Now available on Prime Video, Anthony Robles served as a producer on “Unstoppable” alongside Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, among others. The motivational speaker and former wrestler was also Jerome’s body double in the film.
Read on to learn more about the true story of Anthony Robles, as shown in “Unstoppable.”
What is the Anthony Robles unstoppable story about?
Anthony Robles is a three-time all-American wrestler who won the 2010-11 NCAA wrestling championship in the 125-pound weight class. An Arizona State University graduate, he was given the 2011 NCAA Best Wrestler of the National Tournament Award. And in 2012, he was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.
The oldest of five siblings, “Unstoppable” depicts Anthony’s early beginnings living with his mother Judy and his brothers and sisters. It also shows his mom’s tumultuous relationship with his stepfather Rick, portrayed by Cannavale, and how Anthony overcame a multitude of challenges.
In the film, there’s a scene where Rick reminds a young Anthony that he isn’t his real father. There’s also an argument between Rick and Judy regarding financial issues and lies. At one point, Anthony and Rick get into a physical altercation after the wrestler discovers that Rick lost his job and is trying to get back with his mom.
“There are moments where I was actually tearing up, just reading it, where I was feeling the anger all over again, the pain all over again,” Anthony Robles tells TODAY.com. “But talking to my mom about it, and talking to my siblings, because they went through the same experiences with us, we were all on the same page. We realized that we had to share that part of our story.”
In a Jan. 14 Q&A for the film in New York, attended by TODAY.com, Judy Robles said that in order to tell their story, she had to share “the things that I was feeling, the things that I was dealing with, and the things that I was doing wrong.”
“So being vulnerable was very, very hard, but I think that when this team came alongside and they made us feel safe,” she said.
How Anthony Robles and J.Lo helped to ensure ‘Unstoppable’ was authentic
Anthony Robles was included in the script process to make sure his story was authentic. As with any biopic, there were some dramatizations for the film, including dialogue.
However, Anthony Robles says “for the most part, they did a great job of sticking with the authentic story and what happened.” There were little tidbits here and there, he says, they changed for timing purposes, “where they had to bunch certain things together.”
Among his “biggest concerns” for the film was how his mom was going to be portrayed, “because she is the one that I look up to as my hero. The one that got me through those tough times, that helped me to find that little ounce of hope to keep going.” He tells TODAY.com his goal was to show people where her strength came from.
One fun fact about the film is that Judy Robles actually gave Lopez her real clothes to wear in the film. Among the items that Lopez wears that were Judy Robles’ include “wrestler mom” shirts, hoodies and a pink beanie.
Sharing how “Jennifer was just so committed to portray my mom in this authentic light, down to the clothes,” Anthony Robles even mistook Lopez for his mom.
“One day I was on set and we’re getting ready to start filming. I see someone walk by, and I thought it was my mom because I saw the beanie and I recognized the shirt,” he recalls. “She was walking away from me, and it was Jennifer. She turned around, (and I was like), whoa, this is crazy.”
At the end of the film it notes that Judy Robles graduated from Arizona State University in 2014 and earned her doctorate in 2022. She’s currently serving as the assistant dean of students at ASU.
How Jharrel Jerome transformed into Anthony Robles in ‘Unstoppable’
Anthony Robles was “extremely impressed” with Jerome’s dedication to the role and training regime. The actor had to learn how to be a wrestler and how to walk and run on crutches.
“It was very physically demanding for him,” Anthony Robles tells TODAY.com, adding that his style of wrestling is “very unique.”
Jerome echoed Anthony Robles’ comments in an interview with Variety, telling the magazine the athlete coached him 14 hours a day.
“Repeating the same moves again and again. He taught me to use my fists and my arms and to stretch and pull with all these different parts of my body,” the actor said. “It was the most physically challenging thing I’ve ever done.”
It was also challenging for Anthony Robles, who said had to get back on the mat for some scenes.
“I’m a high school wrestling coach. I’m showing technique, but to get back into the physicality of it, I was training like I was back in my wrestling days,” Anthony Robles tells TODAY.com.
His training included being on the mat for hours a day, cardio that included swimming, spin and more.
Anthony Robles says giving 100 percent during the scenes felt like he was wrestling a full match again.
“I was definitely feeling it. My body was tired, my lungs were given out,” he says. “I felt like I was competing all over again.”
Additionally, his former assistant wrestling coach from Arizona State, Brian Stith, was brought in to help choreograph the wrestling matches. “He knew exactly what made me me on the wrestling mat,” he says.
Anthony Robles’ real-life bond with his coaches
Michael Peña co-stars as coach Bobby Williams, Anthony’s high school coach and one of his biggest champions. To this day, he remains in contact with them and tells TODAY.com that they “text regularly.”
“Bobby Williams, he’s always been like a father figure to me,” he says, crediting him for helping him find his abilities. “Walking into the wrestling room for the first time, he treated me like I was a national champion already.”
He adds that Williams also echoed his mom’s advice to him, saying, “My mom would always tell me, ‘Focus on what you’re capable of, focus on what you can do, not what you can’t.’ And in the wrestling room, my coach used to tell me, ‘We’re going to focus on your strengths and camouflage your weaknesses. We’re going to build a style that works for you.’”
Just like in “Unstoppable,” he would get advice from Williams while wrestling in college. They would later go on to coach together for three years.
Don Cheadle took on the role of coach Shawn Charles, Anthony’s ASU wrestling coach who, at first, appears to question Anthony’s ability. He’s quickly proven wrong when Anthony goes above and beyond during try-outs and training.
As for Charles, Anthony Robles says his coach would always back him up when he was struggling. He credits him for taking him to a “whole new level.”
“He forced me outside of my comfort zone on a regular basis,” he explains. “Just challenged me to think at a different level and improve myself.”
He says that having them both at the national tournament his senior year, seeing him win and celebrating together “was something very special, because I could not have gotten there without either one of them.”
Where is Anthony Robles now?
Anthony Robles would go on to become the first athlete signed by Nike after retiring from a sport. At the end of the film, there is a message from former CEO of Nike, Inc. Phil Knight that reads, “After what he accomplished, Anthony Robles will be a Nike athlete for life.”
In 2013, former President Barack Obama appointed him to President’s council on fitness, sports and nutrition, and in 2022 he took over as wrestling coach at Mesa High in Arizona.
Now a motivational speaker and author, Anthony Robles is a husband and father. He and wife, Laura Robles, have been married for three years. They are parents to a 2-year-old boy named Abel.
He also continues to be a wrestling coach, helping other students get motivated and inspired.
“If I can help even one of them, that’s my way of giving back and saying thank you to the people who helped me to get here today,” he says.
