Unstoppable Jharrel Jerome had to put in a lot of work to become wrestling champion Anthony Robles. Much of it is on screen, from wrestling to lifting to running with weights – often on crutches, as Robles was born without a right leg.
“I’m in the best shape I’ve ever been in my life,” the 27-year-old actor tells PEOPLE. Grimacing, remembering his grueling training regimen, he adds wryly, “So it’s great.”
Unstoppable tells the incredible story of Robles, an Arizona State University alumnus, now 36, who became an NCAA champion in 2011 after launching a wrestling career in high school. Jennifer Lopez, Bobby Cannavale and Don Cheadle play real figures in Robles’ life.
To recreate his matches in the ring, Jerome and Robles themselves (a stunt double and consultant on the film, which co-produced with Ben Affleck and Matt Damon) followed choreographed movements in meticulous detail. That meant not only training to match Robles’ athletic ability, but also brushing up on knowledge of the sport, Jerome explains.
“The WWE was about all I knew when it came to wrestling,” said the When they see us Emmy winner admits.
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If Unstoppable stalled in development and then interrupted by the 2023 writers’ and actors’ strikes, Jerome endured months of boot camp: “Nine to five, five days a week,” he recalls. “On the last day of boot camp, we went straight into day one of shooting, which was pretty crazy.”
Of course, he “couldn’t slip” when the cameras started rolling. “I skipped all my lunch breaks” to exercise, he says. “I would pack meals and microwave them throughout the set, and eat between takes. Because everyone went to lunch and I went to whatever facility they had nearby, whether we were on a college campus or at a warehouse where they brought weights and a mat so I could do a full-body workout.
While Jerome says it’s hard to pick the biggest challenge in “transforming and turning into that beast,” as he jokingly calls Robles, the calluses under his armpits from the constant use of crutches are high on the list.
“I practiced how to move around on the crutches so I can’t look like I just sprained my ankle two weeks ago,” said the actor, who wore a green sock that erased one leg via special effects.
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It was all worth it for his connection to Robles, who invited cast and crew members to his Arizona home during filming. “I consider him a brother,” Jerome says. “It really went beyond our scope of work for us.”
Moreover, he now never lacks inspiration to stay in shape. “It’s 8 o’clock in the morning and I don’t want to wake up, but I’m at the gym at 7:30 and that’s only because I know Anthony would be,” says Jerome. “You can’t see someone doing 80 pull-ups with a weighted vest like Anthony does and don’t use that as motivation.
Unstoppable is now streaming on Prime Video.