Emmy-winning actor Jharrel Jerome had to undergo a five-month training regimen to portray wrestling champion Anthony Robles in the new biopic “Unstoppable,” describing the experience as a “total transformation.” The film had its world premiere on Friday night at the Toronto International Film Festival, and the cast and filmmakers sat down with TheWrap to talk about their journey.
Jerome detailed the preparation required to portray Robles, who won a national wrestling championship despite being born with only one leg.
“It was a total transformation that was required,” Jerome told TheWrap’s Joe McGovern at TheWrap’s 2024 TIFF Studio sponsored by Moët & Chandon and Boss Design. “I really reached out to Billy (Goldenberg, the director) and to production, and really asked for the necessities and the tools that I can have at my disposal to try to get as close to embodying a beast like this.”
The actor’s daily routine involved extensive time in the gym weight training, along with a strict diet and sleep regimen. Jerome also spent considerable time on the wrestling mat, training with Robles himself in various locations including Arizona and Los Angeles.
“It really involved a lot of gym time, just bulking up and getting in the gym, eating a ton, sleeping a ton, and then getting on the mat with Anthony,” Jerome said.
One unique aspect of Jerome’s preparation was mastering the use of crutches, a key part of Robles’ mobility. “I just really wanted to get good at these crutches, because that’s a big part of Anthony,” Jerome said. He worked with movement coach Allison Goldenberg for about 30 minutes daily to perfect his technique.
Director William Goldenberg, making his directorial debut after a celebrated career as an Oscar-winning film editor, praised Jerome’s dedication. “It’s a credit to Jharrel and how hard he worked and how hard he worked with Anthony,” Goldenberg said, adding that at times during editing, he couldn’t distinguish between Jerome and Robles in wrestling scenes.
Jerome’s wrestling performance was so convincing he had people believing he was an actual wrestler. “Somebody actually said to Jharrel, you’ve been wrestling all your life, or you’d wrestled in school or something. And I think that was one of the proudest moments you had,” Goldenberg said.
Goldenberg added: “Wrestlers are sort a of a breed into themselves. I mean, the mutual respect, and there’s no s–t talk, everybody respects everybody. It’s like one big family and and it was just important to us to get it right for that community.”
Watch the full interview with the cast and filmmakers in the embed above.
“Unstoppable” will be released by Amazon MGM Studios in December.
