Jennifer Lopez slays on Toronto red carpet, brings 'sass' to 'Unstoppable' role

TORONTO – Jennifer Lopez has played real-life figures before, from the iconic Latina singer of “Selena” to Puchi in “El Cantante.” Judy Robles happens to be the only one the A-lister has ever Zoomed with.  

“We were just almost the same person in a weird way, even though we were so different and we had such different lives. At the core and the heart of who we were, at first we were moms and beyond that we had had similar struggles,” Lopez said of the mother of champion wrestler Anthony Robles, the subject of Lopez’s new biopic “Unstoppable.” "The story being a Latino story, being so inspiring, it was just something that kind of grabbed me."

It was a big night for Lopez, whose “Unstoppable” premiered Friday at Toronto International Film Festival. In her first public appearance since filing for divorce from Ben Affleck last month, she stunned on the festival red carpet in a silver Tamara Ralph dress held together by black velvet bows and took selfies with fans. (Affleck, a producer on the movie, didn't attend, though Lopez did pose for pictures with her ex’s bestie Matt Damon.)

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Lopez was also able to share the evening with the family that inspired "Unstoppable": She embraced Anthony Robles at their seats as the credits rolled, then shared a moment with Judy Robles backstage right before a post-screening Q&A.

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“She hugged me and she said, 'Is this real?’ ” Lopez said, “I said, ’It’s real. We're here. You did this.’ ”

Lopez called “Unstoppable” “one of the most beautiful, most inspiring stories I think I've ever seen onscreen.” The sports drama stars Jharrel Jerome as Anthony, who works through the challenges of being born with one leg to become a national champion, while Lopez’s Judy faces financial hardships at home and is a victim of domestic violence, beaten by her prison-guard husband (Bobby Cannavale).

Judy Robles told Lopez onstage that “you were me with a sass but also with the sadness and the pain.”

Anthony Robles, who was on the set with Jerome and trained him to be in mat shape, said his biggest fear with the movie “was having my story told to the world and not knowing how that was going be told. (But) I couldn't be any happier tonight.”

Judy Robles said the two had “several conversations” about the movie and “being vulnerable” while opening up their lives to cast and filmmakers. “It's been messy. I made a lot of mistakes and I owned up to my mistakes that I've made in life. But I am proud of the fact that I've raised a son that has grown up to inspire so many people, and who has accepted the challenges that life has given him.”