Jennifer Lopez revealed to the Toronto International Film Festival audience the emotional reason she was drawn to her new film, “Unstoppable.”
The 55-year-old star opened up personally during a Q&A with the audience Friday after the premiere of the inspirational sports drama based on the true story of Anthony Robles, the NCAA wrestling champion who was born with only one leg.
Lopez, who plays Robles’ mother, Judy, said Judy’s struggle with domestic violence prompted her to accept the role because Judy’s struggle was “similar” to her own.
Part of “Unstoppable,” based on Anthony’s memoir, chronicles Judy’s abuse at the hands of her husband. Played by Bobby Cannavale, Judy’s husband, who was not Anthony’s biological father, punches a hole in a wall and leaves marks on his arm in the film.
“When I read the script, I felt like a lot of women, myself included, could relate to the struggles that she had gone through in her life,” Lopez said. “And the story, being a Latina story, was so inspiring. It was something that kind of captivated me. And I was like, OK, this is really interesting.”
“But then when I met Judy [Robles] “We met on Zoom. I was like, I really need to talk to this person,” the Atlas actress added. “Thank God they’re alive! Because I’ve played real people, too. I’ve played Selena, I’ve played Puchi. And I didn’t have, I wasn’t able to talk to them, obviously. So it was a different experience.”
She continued: “Just talking to her, I realized that we were almost the same person, in a strange way, even though we were so different and had such different lives – that deep down, deep down, we were mothers first. And beyond that, we had similar struggles.”
Judy joined Lopez, Cannavale and Don Cheadle, who also stars in the film, for a Q&A. Lopez introduced Judy as she took the stage.
“It was a pleasure and an honor to not only meet but to represent a woman who literally put her heart, soul and blood into her children, teaching them that nothing is more important than family,” Lopez said.
“Against all odds and obstacles, she rose above all others, setting an example for her children to show them that they too could be invincible.”
In her 2024 documentary “The Greatest Love Story Never Told,” she opened up about past abusive relationships.
“There have been people in my life who said ‘I love you’ and didn’t do the things that fit the word ‘love.’ Being bullied and abused like that is not fun,” Lopez shared without naming the ex she was referring to.
“I mean, I’ve never been in a relationship where I’ve been beaten up, thank God, but I’ve definitely been bullied and I’ve done some other nasty things. Brutal. Disrespectful,” she said.
Lopez has a long list of exes, including Diddy, Alex Rodriguez, Tommy Mottola, three former husbands: Ojani Noa, Cris Judd, Marc Anthony and her most recent, Ben Affleck.
Lopez produced “Unstoppable” with Affleck and his longtime best friend Matt Damon.
She filed for divorce on August 20 after two years of marriage to the “Argo” director.
While Affleck wasn’t in attendance at the premiere, Lopez shone in a dramatic ball gown with high slits.
As expected, Damon joined the “Love Don’t Cost a Thing” singer on the red carpet. The two posed for photos together with the rest of the cast.
