LOS ANGELES, Dec. 16 (UPI) -- Jennifer Lopez plays Judy Robles in Unstoppable, in theaters Friday, and inspired by the true story of her son, Anthony Robles, who was born without his right leg but nevertheless became a college wrestling champion.
"My main goal in the first meeting was to make her really comfortable," Lopez, 55, said at a Q&A after a screening of the film, adding that she wanted Robles to "know that she could trust me - that she could share things with me."
Lopez said she asked Robles about her son from the time she was born and their lives. She said she used many of those answers in her performance.
"I was only going to use things that, one, she felt comfortable with, but also that I thought would contribute to telling her part of the story," Lopez said.
Robles said it felt vulnerable and overwhelming to have a celebrity like Lopez play her, adding that the trust they built made it easier to watch her life on screen, and she found Lopez's portrayal authentic.
"The sadness was definitely there but there was also the joy and the bond that my son and I share," Robles said. "I saw the joy. Jennifer cared about that."
The Robleses struggle financially to pay for Anthony to attend Arizona State University, for whom he wrestles. They live with Robles' husband, Rick (Bobby Cannavale), who is abusive and gets them into further financial trouble before Judy and Rick ultimately divorced in real life.
"We found our strength in all that pain," Judy Robles said.
Anthony Robles, 36, credits his mother with teaching him that anything is possible despite life's setbacks. He appears in the film as the wrestling double for actor Jharrel Jerome, who plays him in the rest of the film.
"When I was born, immediately the world saw me for what I didn't have, for what would hold me back and for what I couldn't do," Anthony Robles said. "She didn't think that way. She taught me to focus on what I was capable of -- on my strengths."
When Lopez saw Judy and Anthony Robles together, it further aided her performance. Lopez said she understood why Judy Robles presented her son with her most affirming side.
"We bonded on being moms obviously and wanting the best for our children," Lopez said. "Also struggling in our personal lives, the way that you have to hide that from your children sometimes, all the emotions that you have as a mom."
Anthony Robles helped train Jerome with his own coach, Brian Stith, for seven months. Jerome said working so closely with Anthony Robles helped his performance, too.
"It's impossible to spend so much time with Anthony and not adopt such a grit - the work ethic, unlimited mentality and the 'yes-I-can' attitude," Jerome, 27, said.
Anthony Robles' motivational coaching made an impact on Lopez, too. The megastar actor and recording artist found inspiration in Judy Robles' ability to pick herself back up from setbacks, she said.
"What unstoppable means to me is falling down and always getting back up," Lopez said. "There's not going to be a thing or life where you're not going to fall down. It's just do you stop or not?"
Judy Robles said she found the strength to keep going in her children and God. She has four other children with Rick Robles.
"Being married for 20 years, trying and trying and trying, feeling like a failure I guess when that ended, that doesn't define me," Judy Robles said. "We kept going together. We supported one another."
Watching Unstoppable for the first time at its Toronto International Film Festival premiere made Anthony Robles tear up, he said. Now, he feels the movie serves as a testament to his family's perseverance.
"It was all worth it to be here today," Anthony Robles said. "This is our family legacy right here."
