Jennifer Lopez keeps having to remind Judy Robles that she deserves all the attention she’s been getting as the pair promote “Unstoppable.” The inspirational sports drama has been earning awards buzz, and at screenings, Robles has been greeted with standing ovations. Audiences are clearly impressed by how successfully this single mom raised her son, Anthony, despite having to endure financial hardships and an abusive relationship.
“I tell her all the time, ‘You need to own who you are and what you’ve done,’” Lopez says. “You’re inspiring every mother who has ever struggled. You really have triumphed. You’ve raised a son who has become a leader, and you deserve credit.’ But she’s very humble.”
Anthony, as “Unstoppable” watchers know, became a college wrestling champ, an improbable accomplishment given that he was born with only one leg. Judy was there on the sidelines, unexpectedly learning the same lesson she tried to teach him: you can achieve anything if you work hard enough. After Anthony graduated, Judy went back to school, earning a bachelor’s and master’s degree, eventually becoming an associate athletic director at ASU.
Lopez related to her character’s journey. “We were kindred spirits,” Lopez says. “We both grew up Latina in this country. We both had children and have hopes and dreams for them. We both had challenging relationships, which left us holding our families together.”
“Unstoppable” has scored Lopez some of the best reviews of her career, reminding audiences that “Jenny from the Block” is a talented, nuanced performer, in addition to being a pop icon.
“I was nervous to meet her,” confesses Jharrel Jerome, who plays Anthony in the film. “Growing up Dominican in the Bronx, she was an important figure in my house. But then when we started working together, that went away, and she became this amazing scene partner. She just wanted to get it right,” he says.
That drive for perfection has propelled Lopez to the top of Hollywood’s A-list. And it’s the reason why she’s being honored with the Legend & Groundbreaker Award at the 2025 Palm Springs International Film Festival.
“I’m humbled; I’m blown away,” Lopez says of the award. “But I still have so much more to do. I’m at the halfway mark. I feel like my best work is in front of me. My biggest projects are in front of me, and my biggest successes. Everything is in the future.”
One of those projects is “Kiss of the Spider Woman,” an adaptation of the Tony Award-winning musical that will debut at the Sundance Film Festival. Lopez play Aurora, a classic screen siren who exists in the imagination of Luis Molina, a gay hairdresser, who retreats into fantasies while trapped in an Argentine prison.
“It’s probably my favorite movie experience,” Lopez says. “It’s a film about how love transcends everything — the hardest circumstances, gender, social prejudices. Everything.”
Aurora and Judy Robles are part of a long line of empowered, flinty protagonists that Lopez has played in films as diverse as “Out of Sight,” “Selena” and “Hustlers.” There’s a reason she’s drawn to that type of role.
“Women are strong,” Lopez says. “We have to be. From the minute women are born, we’re always having to prove ourselves, to show we’re good enough. That creates a type of strength. And then a lot of us give birth — and there’s nothing that makes you stronger than doing that.”