Unstoppable actor Jharrel Jerome spills on gruelling filming conditions, working with Jennifer Lopez

This Ben Affleck-produced biopic, starring Jharrel Jerome and Jennifer Lopez, was absolutely gruelling to film.

It’s expected that there’ll be months of gruelling prep involved when an actor takes on the role of an elite athlete.

But when it came to telling the story of real-life wrestling champion Anthony Robles in Unstoppable, the fact that he was born with only one leg added an entirely new dimension.

The film, based on Robles’ autobiography, focuses on his life – from becoming a champion high school wrester to eventually competing on a national level as an NCAA Division I wrestling champ in college.

Unstoppable tells the remarkable story of Anthony Robles (Jharrel Jerome). Picture: Prime Video

Nailing the techniques on the mat were challenging enough, but as lead actor Jharrel Jerome told news.com.au, it was actually a scene showcasing a particularly intense training exercise that almost defeated him.

In Unstoppable, Robles (Jerome) is determined to go and above beyond to prove he is as capable as the rest of his university wrestling team – even when that involves an hours-long uphill run on crutches.

“There were a lot of elements at play that day, including the weather,” Jerome told news.com.au.

“It was freezing cold and we started at 4am and shot until 8pm, we took that entire day to shoot that hike.”

Jerome admitted that the full-day filming of the uphill running scene was gruelling. Picture: Prime Video

… And it was all done on crutches. Picture: Prime Video

Recalling the gruelling conditions of the day, the actor, 27, confirmed that he had been “actually climbing up the mountain on crutches, over and over, taking a break on a rock for 30 minutes and drinking water – then going right back to it.”

In fact, when Jerome first read the script, he’d had “no idea it would actually be such a scene of grit and determination”, and that during filming, they’d all been “so distracted” by their exhaustion.

But even at the time, Jerome knew he couldn’t complain.

“You look at Anthony, and you’re like, ‘there’s no complaining allowed’. I have no space to complain, given what’s been through and what he’s accomplished.”

He added: “If I’m the guy who’s on a movie set, and I just got to do it for a day, that was the push … and having him there [on set] actually motivated us all.”

As well as the truly remarkable journey Robles took to become a champion athlete, Unstoppable focuses on another key part of his life: his relationship with his mother, Judy, played by Jennifer Lopez.

Lopez and Jerome play mother and son in the film. Picture: Prime Video

Jerome is no stranger to fame and high-profile encounters, having had his breakout role in the Oscar-winning Moonlight in 2016, but he admitted meeting his “idol” Lopez left him “terrified”.

“But I met Jennifer at her home and we had a rehearsal, and as soon as we met all of the nervousness and the shyness that I had went completely out the door,” he said.

“I took from my close relationship with my mother, and she took from her close relationship with her kids, and we kind of just blended that as well as us being from the same culture and the same background … So it all kind of was natural.”

Jerome was full of praise for the singer and actress, who just finalised her divorce from Unstoppable producer Ben Affleck, describing her as a “caring presence” on set.

“When she comes in, obviously she changes the room and that’s her power, but on set, that change is a negative. It is positive actually,” he said.

“And you feel inspired to work as hard as she does and get up there.”

Unstoppable is now available to stream on Prime Video.

Originally published as Unstoppable actor Jharrel Jerome spills on gruelling filming conditions, working with Jennifer Lopez