They say life imitates art, and it's hard not to think of Jennifer Lopez's real-life struggles in 2024 while reading her most recent interview promoting her new movie, Unstoppable.
Unstoppable tells the inspirational true story of athlete Anthony Robles, who was born with one leg and defied expectations by becoming a champion wrestler in college. In the movie, Lopez plays Judy Robles, who overcame obstacles of her own (including financial hardships and domestic violence) while raising Anthony as a single mother.
The real Judy Robles has been joining Lopez in promoting the film and, according to Variety, has earned standing ovations at screenings of the movie.
“I tell her all the time, ‘You need to own who you are and what you’ve done,’” Lopez told Variety of the inspiring woman she plays in Unstoppable. “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.”
Lopez also touched on the similarities between Judy's story and her own during the interview.
“We both grew up Latina in this country," Lopez said. "We both had children and have hopes and dreams for them. We both had challenging relationships, which left us holding our families together.”
While Lopez didn't elaborate on the "challenging relationships" she's dealt with in her own life, the comment came amid the actress and singer's divorce from Ben Affleck. Instead of lingering on the specific challenges she and Judy Robles have faced, Lopez turned the conversation toward the ways those challenges made them both stronger in the long-run.
“From the minute women are born, we’re always having to prove ourselves, to show we’re good enough,” she explained. “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.”
