Unstoppable is a biographical sports and drama film that tells the inspiring story of Anthony Robles, a wrestler born without a leg who overcame adversity to become an NCAA Division I wrestling champion. The film is based on the 2012 memoir Unstoppable by Robles. William Goldenberg directed the bio film. Although Eric Champnella and Alex Harris were involved in the early drafts, John Hindman wrote the final screenplay. The film stars Jharrel Jerome as Anthony Robles, alongside a supporting cast that includes Jennifer Lopez, Bobby Cannavale, Michael Peña, and Don Cheadle.
Here is the Novelpro junkie interview with screenwriter John Hindman:
Here is the Novelpro junkie interview with screenwriter John Hindman:
1. In one word how would you sum up your experience with “Unstoppable”?
Life-changing.
It's one word because there's a hyphen. I learned more about the filmmaking process and the storytelling process and about myself as a writer, working on this movie than anything that I've ever done.
2. What drew you to write the screenplay of Unstoppable?
In 2011, Anthony Robles won the NCAA Wrestling Championship, and our great producer Andy Fraser got a hold of that story and knew that it would make a really good movie. They brought on Eric [Champnella] to take a crack at the script first, which was a great idea since he had written, Mr. 3000 and Thunderstruck and some really terrific, family sports movies. Then they gave Alex Harris a shot at it and he did some really nice work. Afterward, they brought in William Goldenberg, our director and the Oscar-winning editor, to breathe some new creative life into the process. He (William Goldenberg) had a very specific vision for the film and he picked me to execute that vision. So, we've been on it together--Billy and I--since 2017, all the way through the end and all the way until the premiere in Los Angeles.
3. What challenges did you face while writing the screenplay?
The thing that drew me to the story, or my version of the story, was the thing that also made it difficult. Like, Rocky's not about boxing. So, the story can't be about having one leg and it can't be about wrestling. Those don't tell me who you are. I really wanted to focus on the family, on the inner opponent. I feel with everything I write; my operating principle is that I treat every story like a love story. That there's love between-- not just a love for wrestling or a love between a mother and son—but a love for a stepdad and a husband, who can't love you back or love themselves. The love that a coach finds for a young man that he originally dismissed and ultimately the love that we have to find for ourselves, the ability to look in the mirror and walk. That emotional journey drew me to the story.
What made that difficult or challenging to illuminate is that these are real people. I'd never written anything before about people who ever existed, let alone currently exist (And I know them and I have grown to care about them). How to show what was once broken in them and what could be best in them. How to honor their story in a way that was metaphorically true without taking the cheap way out, which would just be exploiting their difficulties, exploiting the traumas and challenges that they had in their family just to move or motivate an audience. So, the ultimate challenge was being respectful and still finding a compelling story to tell that they could be proud of at the end of the day. I felt an enormous sense of responsibility to the entire Robles family to do that.
4. When it came to research, did Anthony Robles and Judy Robles helped you guys in any way or did you mainly get information from the source material?
With anything that you write, I think it's important for you to try and become as much of an expert as humanly possible. One of the first things that they did when I got this job was, they flew me out to Arizona and I spent three days with Anthony. I read his book, of course. When they sent me out to Arizona, they were like “Hey, listen, Anthony's a really positive guy. He's a really positive guy and he's a really good person. He doesn't regret the past nor wish to shut the door on it. He doesn't want to say anything negative about anyone. So, it might be hard to get like this sort of juicy conflict moments that you might expect from someone.” And I found that to not be the case. Anthony and I have more in common than you might assume just by looking at us. We talked about our lives, about growing up and about our families and formed a real bond quickly. Very soon we're sharing openly and honestly about our childhoods. So, there was a couple of things he said that gave me like the emotional engine that would pull me through the entire story and would pull an audience or a reader. and now a viewer through the entire story. He was an invaluable resource, not just for me, but for the director for the entire film throughout the entire process. If you had a question, you just call Anthony. If I wanted to know what something was like, I just call Anthony. He was kind of my candle in the darkness. I just let him lead and tried to find the right words to express the journey.
And did you have that same communication with Judy (portrayed by Jennifer Lopez)?:
I didn't. I mean, I'd met her. Obviously, the story is first and foremost, Anthony's. He is kind of the driving force of it, but it really is a mother and son’s story. I knew that if I was respectful, but honest to show that these people sometimes made decisions that they regretted, or their choices are really going badly for them and they don't know how to achieve escape velocity from their lesser selves, but also show that each of them had that burning coal of possibility. Anytime I would show something or write something that might not flattering in the moment, I would make sure that it was balanced out by something that we could root for or that we could sympathize with, or empathize with. That balance is what, in the end, made Judy feel not just comfortable, but proud of the story that we told.
5. What is your favorite scene from the film?
My favorite scene from the film is when Anthony and his coach from high school, Coach Williams, are sitting on the bleachers at Mesa High School. Anthony has just suffered a really terrible defeat and he's questioning himself. Other people are asking him why he continues to do this. For me, that scene, that monologue of his is absolutely the kernel of what the entire movie is about. That most of us have our whole lives to achieve our dreams. Everyone tells you, “Hey, just keep going. You can you can try one more time”. But Anthony only has, at this point in the story, one more year to achieve his dreams. He has one more year to be somebody.
It's my favorite because I was in callbacks with Anthony and the little actors who played his siblings. I was reading with them. I was playing the part of Rick and it's when I first met Jarell. I'm watching him read and Jarell is such an open, beautiful guy. You can just see all the way into his heart, all the time. I knew that we needed a scene that told us what Anthony gets if he wins. Aside from the trophies, aside from the accolades, aside all that. Like... What does he get as a human being? Like we needed to know what he gets if he is a champion. We needed that. And then I watched Jarrell work and that's when those two things came together for me.
If you took that scene out, which is how I look at scripts. Like if I took the scene out, what would I lose? Whatever you'd lose, that's what it's about. If I took that scene out of the movie, then I would lose what the entire movie is about. So, for me, it's the linchpin of the story.
6. What was your experience working with director William Goldenberg?
My relationship with Billy Goldenberg has been the most extraordinary creative relationship of my life. We've worked very, very closely now for over seven years on this. Whether it was showing him drafts of the script or what do you think about this scene or when we finally got the movie greenlit, going to his house every day and sort of like acting it out and sort of imagining what it would look like to shoot a dining room table scene, for example. I mean, he's legendary guy. He's edited Heat, Argo, Zero Dark 30, Pleasantville, Seabiscuit and The Imitation Game, I mean, it just goes on forever, right? So, I was just knocked out to have him pick me to write the movie for him. Again, really thrilled to be afforded the opportunity to be useful. To be in the tent with him and with the DP watching the takes and occasionally be like “What do you think about that?” To be of service in that way was amazing. He's a very generous and inclusive guy. That vibe permeated the entire set that was a very friendly set and a very open set. I benefited from that and I would like to hope that I contributed, that I paid my way with having a good idea at least 20% of the time.
7. Did you make a cameo in the film? If not, why didn’t you?
I didn't. No, I was busy. While we were making the movie, in the director's tent, it was just me and the director and our great DP, Sal Totino. So, there wasn't really time for me to go and be somebody. But my son worked on this movie for like nine days. If you know when to look [ for my son], “Oh, he's a Mesa wrestler. Oh, he's in the locker room. Oh, he's like in the crowd over here”. So, I didn't make a cameo, but my son, Spencer did.
8. Were you ever on set? If so, could you talk about your most memorable moment?
Yeah, I've been involved with every aspect of this movie every step of the way for seven years, through pre-production and production. like I said, every day on set, like in the director's tent. It was just the director, the cinematographer, and I. So, I was there for every single second of this. I was on set for so many wonderful moments. I’ve seen multiple edits of the movie and went to the sound mix. I'm also a producer on the film as well.
So, I think the moment that will stick with me forever is—I don't know if you know this or not—but Anthony is his own stunt double. Jharrell Jerome plays Anthony, but all of the wrestling—we shoot it once with Jharrell and we shoot it again with Anthony. So, Anthony is a huge part of this movie. We were shooting the scene where Anthony wins the NCAA championship. We're shooting the Anthony Robles’ version of that as opposed to the Jharrell Jerome’s version of that. So, it's from behind, you can't tell that it's not Jarrell. We have 450 extras. It's the last shot of this sequence. We shot all the sports stuff at USC. So, Anthony Robles, the real guy, is standing up, reenacting Anthony Robles winning the 2011 championship and the crowd is cheering. It's one of those things you had to be there, but it went on and on and on and on. It just became so... I mean, seriously, like 10-minute ovation. There wasn't a dry eye in the house. They were cheering the man, they were cheering the movie, they were cheering what he's done. He [ Anthony Robles] just stood there and just took that in and to know how far he had come to this moment, to being himself in a movie about his journey was one of the most overwhelming experiences I think I'll ever have, that everyone's had. It was unforgettable.
9. An amazing cast were involved with this film including Jharrel Jerome, Jennifer Lopez, Bobby Cannavale, Don Cheadle, Michael Pena and more. Were you able to conversate with any of them? If so, could you give an interesting fact about them?
Yeah, I talk to all of them. What's most interesting to me about Jharrel Jerome is like what an open person he is, like how much he enjoys the process. It's kind of a tall order to be number one on the call sheet and just in your mid-20s. He has such a light touch, not just on camera, but also on set that I just found him to be inspiration, someone that I wanted to write for and to work with. He brought his mom to set a couple of times and she was just a delight. To see how close they are and to see how much he loves her and how much she loves him really helped me understand one of the reasons that he responded to the script.
Bobby Cannavale... I'm a big fan of his. There's nothing that he can't do… drama, comedy, musicals, he can do anything. He's shockingly handsome in person. I know he's handsome on screen, but to see him in person… to watch him work every day, such a mellow, calm perfectionist.
Don Cheadle is a real, a real hero of mine. It was incredible to have a front row seat to watch his process. Michael Pena, my son and I, love Michael Pena. So, sitting around and talking with Michael Pena, who's in a band about Depeche Mode was like a real highlight. My son and I will think about that forever.
Jennifer Lopez, she's a global figure for a reason. I think what most knocked me about her is her legendary work ethics. She is on time, she is prepared, she knows her lines. We are never waiting for her. Any nuance or character attribute that you want from her, she has that available, because she worked so hard and so closely with Judy to get this right, to do the right thing by this family and it shows. She's absolutely spectacular.
10. Which novel/novella/short story/article/graphic novel would you like to see adapted into a film or TV series?
A lot. I mean, I read a lot. So, the thing that I think would be most challenging to do that would be really exceptional is if anyone could adapt Hyperion by Dan Simmons, they would have my undying respect forever. It's just really impossible. I know Bradley Cooper has been trying to get that done for 20 years. It's an incredible it's an incredible novel. I really love the Lou Archer books by Ross McDonald. I'd like to see someone do the Travis McGee series by John D. McDonald, Justice. I'm going to stick with those.
11. Just like how Anthony Robles’ story inspired others, could you mention anything you have done or say that has been inspirational so far in someone’s life?
I hope that my children can see that if you work really hard and persevere and do your best even when no one's watching, which is most of the time, that you have the chance to get lucky and find yourself in the company of legendary experts as I have. I hope that they see that that's possible.
And can you go in depth with the relationship you had with the director? How was it in general? And did you guys have any disagreement in something? And how do you resolve that during the movie?
12. Last question, could you tell us one surprising fact about yourself?
If you've ever seen the show “Succession” on HBO. They're now famous opening titles. It looks like a family home movie. I am the guy in those titles. So, when you Google “Succession” titles, you will see a guy and that guy is me. That's a surprising fact…..Watch the opening titles for Succession. Those are globally famous titles. The Simpsons did a parody of them, Homer Simpson was being me. It was amazing.
I'm also inexplicably in La La Land. I'm the director that Emma Stone auditions for that gives her big break at the end of the movie (When she sings “the fools who dream” I'm that guy). So, I think those things… they're surprising to me. There's no reason for those things to have fallen in my lap.
Life-changing.
It's one word because there's a hyphen. I learned more about the filmmaking process and the storytelling process and about myself as a writer, working on this movie than anything that I've ever done.
2. What drew you to write the screenplay of Unstoppable?
In 2011, Anthony Robles won the NCAA Wrestling Championship, and our great producer Andy Fraser got a hold of that story and knew that it would make a really good movie. They brought on Eric [Champnella] to take a crack at the script first, which was a great idea since he had written, Mr. 3000 and Thunderstruck and some really terrific, family sports movies. Then they gave Alex Harris a shot at it and he did some really nice work. Afterward, they brought in William Goldenberg, our director and the Oscar-winning editor, to breathe some new creative life into the process. He (William Goldenberg) had a very specific vision for the film and he picked me to execute that vision. So, we've been on it together--Billy and I--since 2017, all the way through the end and all the way until the premiere in Los Angeles.
3. What challenges did you face while writing the screenplay?
The thing that drew me to the story, or my version of the story, was the thing that also made it difficult. Like, Rocky's not about boxing. So, the story can't be about having one leg and it can't be about wrestling. Those don't tell me who you are. I really wanted to focus on the family, on the inner opponent. I feel with everything I write; my operating principle is that I treat every story like a love story. That there's love between-- not just a love for wrestling or a love between a mother and son—but a love for a stepdad and a husband, who can't love you back or love themselves. The love that a coach finds for a young man that he originally dismissed and ultimately the love that we have to find for ourselves, the ability to look in the mirror and walk. That emotional journey drew me to the story.
What made that difficult or challenging to illuminate is that these are real people. I'd never written anything before about people who ever existed, let alone currently exist (And I know them and I have grown to care about them). How to show what was once broken in them and what could be best in them. How to honor their story in a way that was metaphorically true without taking the cheap way out, which would just be exploiting their difficulties, exploiting the traumas and challenges that they had in their family just to move or motivate an audience. So, the ultimate challenge was being respectful and still finding a compelling story to tell that they could be proud of at the end of the day. I felt an enormous sense of responsibility to the entire Robles family to do that.
4. When it came to research, did Anthony Robles and Judy Robles helped you guys in any way or did you mainly get information from the source material?
With anything that you write, I think it's important for you to try and become as much of an expert as humanly possible. One of the first things that they did when I got this job was, they flew me out to Arizona and I spent three days with Anthony. I read his book, of course. When they sent me out to Arizona, they were like “Hey, listen, Anthony's a really positive guy. He's a really positive guy and he's a really good person. He doesn't regret the past nor wish to shut the door on it. He doesn't want to say anything negative about anyone. So, it might be hard to get like this sort of juicy conflict moments that you might expect from someone.” And I found that to not be the case. Anthony and I have more in common than you might assume just by looking at us. We talked about our lives, about growing up and about our families and formed a real bond quickly. Very soon we're sharing openly and honestly about our childhoods. So, there was a couple of things he said that gave me like the emotional engine that would pull me through the entire story and would pull an audience or a reader. and now a viewer through the entire story. He was an invaluable resource, not just for me, but for the director for the entire film throughout the entire process. If you had a question, you just call Anthony. If I wanted to know what something was like, I just call Anthony. He was kind of my candle in the darkness. I just let him lead and tried to find the right words to express the journey.
And did you have that same communication with Judy (portrayed by Jennifer Lopez)?:
I didn't. I mean, I'd met her. Obviously, the story is first and foremost, Anthony's. He is kind of the driving force of it, but it really is a mother and son’s story. I knew that if I was respectful, but honest to show that these people sometimes made decisions that they regretted, or their choices are really going badly for them and they don't know how to achieve escape velocity from their lesser selves, but also show that each of them had that burning coal of possibility. Anytime I would show something or write something that might not flattering in the moment, I would make sure that it was balanced out by something that we could root for or that we could sympathize with, or empathize with. That balance is what, in the end, made Judy feel not just comfortable, but proud of the story that we told.
5. What is your favorite scene from the film?
My favorite scene from the film is when Anthony and his coach from high school, Coach Williams, are sitting on the bleachers at Mesa High School. Anthony has just suffered a really terrible defeat and he's questioning himself. Other people are asking him why he continues to do this. For me, that scene, that monologue of his is absolutely the kernel of what the entire movie is about. That most of us have our whole lives to achieve our dreams. Everyone tells you, “Hey, just keep going. You can you can try one more time”. But Anthony only has, at this point in the story, one more year to achieve his dreams. He has one more year to be somebody.
It's my favorite because I was in callbacks with Anthony and the little actors who played his siblings. I was reading with them. I was playing the part of Rick and it's when I first met Jarell. I'm watching him read and Jarell is such an open, beautiful guy. You can just see all the way into his heart, all the time. I knew that we needed a scene that told us what Anthony gets if he wins. Aside from the trophies, aside from the accolades, aside all that. Like... What does he get as a human being? Like we needed to know what he gets if he is a champion. We needed that. And then I watched Jarrell work and that's when those two things came together for me.
If you took that scene out, which is how I look at scripts. Like if I took the scene out, what would I lose? Whatever you'd lose, that's what it's about. If I took that scene out of the movie, then I would lose what the entire movie is about. So, for me, it's the linchpin of the story.
6. What was your experience working with director William Goldenberg?
My relationship with Billy Goldenberg has been the most extraordinary creative relationship of my life. We've worked very, very closely now for over seven years on this. Whether it was showing him drafts of the script or what do you think about this scene or when we finally got the movie greenlit, going to his house every day and sort of like acting it out and sort of imagining what it would look like to shoot a dining room table scene, for example. I mean, he's legendary guy. He's edited Heat, Argo, Zero Dark 30, Pleasantville, Seabiscuit and The Imitation Game, I mean, it just goes on forever, right? So, I was just knocked out to have him pick me to write the movie for him. Again, really thrilled to be afforded the opportunity to be useful. To be in the tent with him and with the DP watching the takes and occasionally be like “What do you think about that?” To be of service in that way was amazing. He's a very generous and inclusive guy. That vibe permeated the entire set that was a very friendly set and a very open set. I benefited from that and I would like to hope that I contributed, that I paid my way with having a good idea at least 20% of the time.
7. Did you make a cameo in the film? If not, why didn’t you?
I didn't. No, I was busy. While we were making the movie, in the director's tent, it was just me and the director and our great DP, Sal Totino. So, there wasn't really time for me to go and be somebody. But my son worked on this movie for like nine days. If you know when to look [ for my son], “Oh, he's a Mesa wrestler. Oh, he's in the locker room. Oh, he's like in the crowd over here”. So, I didn't make a cameo, but my son, Spencer did.
8. Were you ever on set? If so, could you talk about your most memorable moment?
Yeah, I've been involved with every aspect of this movie every step of the way for seven years, through pre-production and production. like I said, every day on set, like in the director's tent. It was just the director, the cinematographer, and I. So, I was there for every single second of this. I was on set for so many wonderful moments. I’ve seen multiple edits of the movie and went to the sound mix. I'm also a producer on the film as well.
So, I think the moment that will stick with me forever is—I don't know if you know this or not—but Anthony is his own stunt double. Jharrell Jerome plays Anthony, but all of the wrestling—we shoot it once with Jharrell and we shoot it again with Anthony. So, Anthony is a huge part of this movie. We were shooting the scene where Anthony wins the NCAA championship. We're shooting the Anthony Robles’ version of that as opposed to the Jharrell Jerome’s version of that. So, it's from behind, you can't tell that it's not Jarrell. We have 450 extras. It's the last shot of this sequence. We shot all the sports stuff at USC. So, Anthony Robles, the real guy, is standing up, reenacting Anthony Robles winning the 2011 championship and the crowd is cheering. It's one of those things you had to be there, but it went on and on and on and on. It just became so... I mean, seriously, like 10-minute ovation. There wasn't a dry eye in the house. They were cheering the man, they were cheering the movie, they were cheering what he's done. He [ Anthony Robles] just stood there and just took that in and to know how far he had come to this moment, to being himself in a movie about his journey was one of the most overwhelming experiences I think I'll ever have, that everyone's had. It was unforgettable.
9. An amazing cast were involved with this film including Jharrel Jerome, Jennifer Lopez, Bobby Cannavale, Don Cheadle, Michael Pena and more. Were you able to conversate with any of them? If so, could you give an interesting fact about them?
Yeah, I talk to all of them. What's most interesting to me about Jharrel Jerome is like what an open person he is, like how much he enjoys the process. It's kind of a tall order to be number one on the call sheet and just in your mid-20s. He has such a light touch, not just on camera, but also on set that I just found him to be inspiration, someone that I wanted to write for and to work with. He brought his mom to set a couple of times and she was just a delight. To see how close they are and to see how much he loves her and how much she loves him really helped me understand one of the reasons that he responded to the script.
Bobby Cannavale... I'm a big fan of his. There's nothing that he can't do… drama, comedy, musicals, he can do anything. He's shockingly handsome in person. I know he's handsome on screen, but to see him in person… to watch him work every day, such a mellow, calm perfectionist.
Don Cheadle is a real, a real hero of mine. It was incredible to have a front row seat to watch his process. Michael Pena, my son and I, love Michael Pena. So, sitting around and talking with Michael Pena, who's in a band about Depeche Mode was like a real highlight. My son and I will think about that forever.
Jennifer Lopez, she's a global figure for a reason. I think what most knocked me about her is her legendary work ethics. She is on time, she is prepared, she knows her lines. We are never waiting for her. Any nuance or character attribute that you want from her, she has that available, because she worked so hard and so closely with Judy to get this right, to do the right thing by this family and it shows. She's absolutely spectacular.
10. Which novel/novella/short story/article/graphic novel would you like to see adapted into a film or TV series?
A lot. I mean, I read a lot. So, the thing that I think would be most challenging to do that would be really exceptional is if anyone could adapt Hyperion by Dan Simmons, they would have my undying respect forever. It's just really impossible. I know Bradley Cooper has been trying to get that done for 20 years. It's an incredible it's an incredible novel. I really love the Lou Archer books by Ross McDonald. I'd like to see someone do the Travis McGee series by John D. McDonald, Justice. I'm going to stick with those.
11. Just like how Anthony Robles’ story inspired others, could you mention anything you have done or say that has been inspirational so far in someone’s life?
I hope that my children can see that if you work really hard and persevere and do your best even when no one's watching, which is most of the time, that you have the chance to get lucky and find yourself in the company of legendary experts as I have. I hope that they see that that's possible.
And can you go in depth with the relationship you had with the director? How was it in general? And did you guys have any disagreement in something? And how do you resolve that during the movie?
12. Last question, could you tell us one surprising fact about yourself?
If you've ever seen the show “Succession” on HBO. They're now famous opening titles. It looks like a family home movie. I am the guy in those titles. So, when you Google “Succession” titles, you will see a guy and that guy is me. That's a surprising fact…..Watch the opening titles for Succession. Those are globally famous titles. The Simpsons did a parody of them, Homer Simpson was being me. It was amazing.
I'm also inexplicably in La La Land. I'm the director that Emma Stone auditions for that gives her big break at the end of the movie (When she sings “the fools who dream” I'm that guy). So, I think those things… they're surprising to me. There's no reason for those things to have fallen in my lap.
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