2024 was a great year for sports dramas, and one of the best was Unstoppable. William Goldenberg’s film about NCAA Division I champion wrestler Anthony Robles, who was born with just one leg, features a tremendous performance by Jharrel Jerome as Robles. The film details Robles’ tough journey to greatness, never letting his disability or challenges at home stand in the way.
Unstoppable is the biggest film role for Jerome yet, and his first chance to really stand in the spotlight. His breakthrough role was in 2016 as part of Barry Jenkins’ Moonlight ensemble. Just three years later, he won an Emmy award for his performance as Korey Wise in Ava DuVernay’s miniseries When They See Us. More recently, he has starred in Steven Soderbergh’s series Full Circle, Boots Riley’s series I’m a Virgo, and voiced Miles Morales in Spider-Man: Across the Universe.
But Unstoppable posed a unique challenge for Jerome. Beyond the physical demands of amateur wrestling, which I can assure you are significant, he also had to learn to wrestle like Robles who has a style all his own. Fortunately, Jerome had Robles right there to help learn the ways of the mat, and to help instill the winning attitude that has carried him far long after his wrestling days were over.
I had the chance to talk with Jharrel Jerome and Anthony Robles about Unstoppable, and all that they did to prepare for the role’s many challenges. I also spoke with director William Goldenberg about making Robles’ story his directorial debut, how his career as an editor impacted the production, and a lot more. It was a real treat, and I hope you’ll check it out!
You can find the interview below or on our YouTube channel. We hope you’ll give us a follow! It can also be listened to as part of the Cinema Royale podcast, which can be subscribed to anywhere you get your podcasts.
