Jennifer Lopez and Producers Ben Affleck and Matt Damon ‘Cared About Us as People,’ Says ‘Unstoppable’s’ Anthony Robles (Exclusive)

Anthony Robles worked with a group of Hollywood’s most famous filmmakers to turn his life story into the new film Unstoppable.

Robles, 36, was born with one leg and won the 2011 NCAA championship. He is played by Jharrel Jerome in the biopic, based on his 2013 memoir, while Jennifer Lopez plays his mother, Judy. Also starring are Bobby Cannavale, Michael Peña and Don Cheadle. Robles tells PEOPLE, “It’s a star-studded cast.”

The same goes for the team behind the camera. Along with William Goldenberg, who Robles calls “a great director.” Unstoppable was brought to life thanks to producers Ben Affleck and Matt Damon through their production company Artists Equity.

Related: Jennifer Lopez Unstoppable Receives standing ovation in Toronto and praise from Anthony Robles: “This team did it”

“Ben and Matt made it a point to include my family in everything,” says the former wrestler, who started his wrestling career from humble beginnings in his hometown of Mesa, Arizona. The film depicts the ups and downs of Robles’ years at Arizona State University, as he and his four half-siblings endured a difficult relationship with their mother’s husband.

“I stand by what we showed in this film,” says Robles, who prioritized “precision” in wrestling scenes as a producer, consultant and Jerome’s stunt double.

It was the filmmakers who were determined to tell his story authentically that helped him achieve this goal. “It was cool to see how excited (Affleck) was about the whole process,” he remembers.

Robles’ family members, he says, “were just grateful for how much care and attention everyone showed, from Billy to Jharell and Jennifer. They cared about our input, our insights and just our concerns.”

He adds, “It’s one thing that they’re excited to tell our story, but they really just cared about us as people.”

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During filming, the cast and crew spent time with the Robles family in Arizona. “Seeing Jennifer and my mother talking to each other for hours, seeing Jennifer really open up to her and share things about her life – that bonded us,” he says. “The same goes for Jharrel and me. It was actually more of an organic friendship that we were able to just build together and separately to trust and talk openly about these things.”

With Unstoppable On the page, on the big screen and now on stream, Robles hopes his story of overcoming adversity inspires others. “I’m proud of the story itself and it’s special to me,” he says.

“I want everyone to come to terms with the fact that we are all dealing with a challenge. It can be a physical challenge, it can be a mental challenge, it can be relationships. There will always be an opponent in your life that you face. It doesn’t matter what your background is, everyone understands that.”

Unstoppable is now streaming on Prime Video.

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