The Touching True Story Behind Amazon’s ‘Unstoppable’

“Unstoppable” is now streaming on Prime Video, telling the story of Anthony Robles, a boy born with only one leg who goes on to become an NCAA wrestling champion. And yes, the film is based on a true story.

In the film, Robles is played by Jharrel Jerome and his mother Judy is played by Jennifer Lopez. But these are indeed real people, who were even involved in making the film — Anthony Robles even did Jerome’s wrestling for him on-screen — and have seen the final product.

The thing with true stories is, sometimes only parts of it are true. Here’s what we know about the real Anthony Robles.

Was Anthony Robles really a high-school all-star?

Yes, he was. The real Anthony Robles won two state wrestling championships by the time he finished at Mesa High School, going 96–0 in his junior and senior years combined. Robles also won a national championship as a senior.

In “Unstoppable,” we see Anthony scaling the “Rocky” steps in Philadelphia to get pumped up ahead of those championships, and according to Robles, that was something he actually did do, not just an easy sports connection for the film.

Did he really turn down a scholarship from Drexel?

Yes, he did. In the film, Anthony desperately wants to go to the University of Iowa to wrestle, but he never gets recruited. That’s based on fact. As is the plot point of him getting a full scholarship from Drexel University, which his real mom did encourage him to take.

But in the end, Robles turned down the scholarship and went to Arizona State University, where he didn’t have a full ride. In his freshman year, he redshirted on the wrestling team.

Did he really have an abusive stepdad?

Unfortunately, yes. Bobby Cannavale plays Anthony’s stepfather, who is emotionally abusive to the kids of the family, and eventually physically abusive to Anthony’s mother. In the film, there is a pivotal confrontation between the two, where Anthony uses his wrestling skills to pin his stepfather until police arrive.

That scene is partly fictionalized. As Robles explained to USA Today, the actual physicality of that scene is dramatized, but “Things were broken, police were called, that happened.”

Did Arizona State really cut its wrestling program entirely?

Yes, briefly. In Robles’ freshman year, the ASU athletic department dropped its wrestling program as part of budget cuts. Robles did consider transferring, but the program, like in the movie, was eventually reinstated.

Did Anthony really come in second the year before he won the NCAA championship?

That part isn’t true. Though Anthony Robles did go undefeated in his final wrestling season and beat the defending 125-pound NCAA Champion, Iowa’s Matt McDonough, as shown in the film, the real Anthony did not come in second the year before. In reality, he finished 7th in his weight class in the competition that year.

“Unstoppable” is now streaming on Prime Video.