Jennifer Lopez pulled from within and used her own experiences to understand her latest role in the wrestling drama, “Unstoppable.”
Lopez, 55, portrays Judy Robles in the sports biopic, which centers around the life of Judy’s son, wrestler Anthony Robles, who was born with one leg and defied expectations to become a NCAA champion wrestler despite facing rejection around every corner.
While Anthony, portrayed by Jharrel Jerome, faces his own challenges throughout the film, the matriarch of the movie also raises four children while dealing with an abusive and unfaithful husband, played by Bobby Cannavale.
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Jennifer Lopez related to unhealthy relationships her character strayed toward in “Unstoppable.” (Adrián Monroy/Medios y Media/Getty Images)
Lopez, who is in the midst of a divorce with estranged husband Ben Affleck, admitted she could relate to Judy’s willingness to stay in a toxic relationship.
“There was a lot about her that I understood,” Lopez told Entertainment Weekly. “There were different sides to him that the kids didn’t see, that only Judy saw.
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“With those types of people, there’s a part of them that fools you into thinking that they care about you and that they truly love you — and it’s really about their damage that they’re putting onto you.”
Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck were married in 2022, 20 years after calling off their first wedding. (Johnny Nunez)
Jennifer Lopez simply stunned walking the red carpet for the “Unstoppable” premiere in September. (Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty Images)
While Cannavale noted the relationship between Judy and Rick was “co-dependent,” he also had conversations with Lopez about their characters and how they had brought up memories from the past.
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“We both acknowledged that we knew what this was, that we had seen this at some point, somewhere in our lives before,” Cannavale said. “The long lens of being older now and seeing that for what it was allows you to really play it almost affectionately, knowing how fraught the relationship is boiling. We both understood what that was.”
Lopez added, “There was a lot going on with the two of them that was dysfunctional and unhealthy, but she loved him and wanted him to be there. He was the father of four of her children.
Jennifer Lopez stars as Judy Robles in “Unstoppable.” (Mike Marsland/Getty Images for Prime Video)
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“As angry and upset as she could be at him, she could also welcome him back in a second, like she did in the movie, which was heartbreaking.”
“There was a lot going on with the two of them that was dysfunctional and unhealthy, but she loved him and wanted him to be there.”
— Jennifer Lopez
Lopez filed for divorce from her fourth husband, Ben Affleck, on Aug. 20 — the two-year anniversary of their wedding in Georgia.
The former couple first said “I do” during a surprise Las Vegas wedding in 2022.
Jennifer Lopez said her Las Vegas wedding to Ben Affleck was “exactly what we wanted” in a newsletter shared with fans. (Jennifer Lopez/OntheJLo.com)
After the news of the divorce broke, a source told Fox News Digital that Lopez was “devastated” by the split.
The “Waiting for Tonight” singer gave the marriage her all and wanted to make things work after the couple rekindled their romance during the pandemic, the source noted.
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Affleck and Lopez first met while working on the set of “Gigli” and were engaged in 2002 with plans to marry in September 2003, but they postponed the wedding and ultimately called off their relationship at the beginning of 2004.
Tracy Wright is an entertainment reporter for Fox News Digital. Send story tips to Tracy.Wright@fox.com.
