Jharrel Jerome is overwhelmed. “Good overwhelmed!” he clarifies on the red carpet of the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) premiere of his new film Unstoppable, an uplifting, buzzy sports drama about Anthony Robles, a champion wrestler who was born without his right leg. “I think it’s a good thing sometimes to be overwhelmed,” Jerome says with a smile, this time sitting across from me at the Fairmont Royal York hotel in Toronto a couple days after the premiere. “You could be overrun by excitement, or overrun by amazement, just shocked. I’ve been through this a few times now, and I can never get used to it.”
The “it” Jerome is referring to is the Oscar buzz and onslaught of positive reception he’s getting from critics and industry insiders who have seen his performance in Unstoppable. Along with rave reviews, Jerome received the TIFF Tribute Performer Award. He’s been in this position before. The 26-year-old became the youngest person to win the Lead Actor in a Drama Series Emmy for When They See Us in 2019. He’s starred in beloved projects like Moonlight and the Spider-Man Into The Spiderverse franchise and garnered acclaim for Boots Riley’s I’m A Virgo. Jerome is one of only a handful of young Black actors working today who seems to be getting the opportunities they deserve. He’s booked and busy, as he should be, and while I’m sure the hype surrounding Unstoppable — specifically, Jharrel Jerome in Unstoppable — is a bit overwhelming, he more than rises to meet the challenge.
As Anthony Robles, Jerome transforms into a kid who finds solace in wrestling when his home isn’t welcoming, thanks to a piece of shit stepdad (Bobby Cannavale plays the one-dimensional deadbeat with precision), and strength in the audacity of believing he can, even when the world is telling him he can’t (including his coach, a measured Don Cheadle). The only person in his corner is his mom Judy (an underused but dynamic Jennifer Lopez) and with her support, he sets out to prove his doubters wrong through sheer talent and determination. And he does. Unstoppable is a by-the-numbers biopic with all the emotional beats you expect from an underdog-to-champion sports movie, but when the script veers into clichés and the directing is uninspired, Jerome elevates the material with a relentless and enthralling performance. Jerome plays Anthony as charming and tough, with an exterior built strong enough to withstand the injustices of being a disabled athlete, but also with a simmering vulnerability, holding his emotions on the surface, ready to bubble over at any moment. You’ll love rooting for Anthony in this story, but you’ll leave Unstoppable rooting even harder for Jerome.
Here, the actor talks about turning down roles to stick to his calculated career strategy, the pressure of playing a disabled athlete, and since the star is also a rapper (what can’t he do?), I ask him to drop a few bars, naturally.
Unbothered: I talked to you on the red carpet, the word that you used was “overwhelmed.” I’ve been thinking about it, because I can imagine that it is overwhelming to be you right now, but in a good way. Is that how it feels?
Jharrel Jerome: That’s exactly what I meant. I’m good overwhelmed. I think overwhelmed is a misconstrued word. I think it’s a good thing sometimes to be overwhelmed. You could be overrun by excitement, or overrun by just amazement, just shocked. I’ve been through this a few times now, and I can never get used to it.
I’m thinking about my IMDB page in 30 years, and I’m trying to look back at my resume and say, banger, banger, banger, banger, banger, banger.
jharrel jerome on turning down roles
You have been through this a few times, and when you say that, I think of this industry and other actors who look like you, other Black actors, who are not in that same position, not as booked and busy or awarded. That is a testament to your talent, but also, do you feel a responsibility? Do you think of how much impact you are having in this moment?
JJ: I sadly forget to think about that stuff. If I’m being real with you, no I don’t. I keep that far away from me, because then I think it’ll affect my work, and it’ll affect how I feel and even my choices. I think it’s really been less about like, how nice I am as an actor and talented, and more so about the choices I’ve been making and the strategy plan behind all of this that I’m trying to do. I am saying no to so much to the point where, like, sometimes I’d be like, Why am I saying no? This is such risky behavior!
What’s something you turned down that you felt was a massive risk?
JJ: I don’t know if I could say, like, the actual project, but a major kind of, like, cool action movie, sci fi sort of project that’s been around for a long time.
You’re not going to tell me what it is, are you?
JJ: No no [laughs]. Because then it sounds like I’m disrespecting the franchise, okay, but just this a franchise that I grew up liking, but not so much these days. I could have said yes for the sake of a big check and to be in this kind of mainstream moment, but for me, the character that I was offered would not have done anything for me as a person. It just wouldn’t have stretched me and challenged me. It sounds annoying. My team’s probably like, wait, but go on that set. Go take that money and go do it. But for me, I’m thinking about my IMDB page in 30 years, and I’m trying to look back at my resume and say, banger, banger, banger, banger, banger, banger. Some of my favorite actors are my favorite actors, not because of how well they act, but because of the choices they make.
Well you’ve had banger after banger. Unstoppable is another one to add to the list. So let’s talk about playing Anthony, a Black disabled athlete. And we know that disabled athletes in general don’t get the representation that they deserve. But taking on this role specifically, especially given the fact that you’re not disabled, what did it mean to you and how did you reconcile that?
JJ: Luckily, it was just having Anthony right there giving me that green light. I’m in the same boat as you. There are disabled actors, there are actors who are born with one leg, who could have had the opportunity to play this role if producers and casting directors were willing to go search far and wide and take that extensive time to find them, it could be done. So that definitely weighed on me heavy, and that was the conversations I had with Billy [director William Goldenberg]. But he said, “Hey, go talk to Anthony and see how you feel after.”
I’m sure the conversation will come up about [me not being disabled], and I support that conversation all the way through. I understand the conversation.
jharrel jerome on playing anthony robles
And Anthony believed in me. Anthony looked at me [and said], “I want you to do it.” He saw When They See Us, and he didn’t want nobody else to do it besides me. Because he felt like, I can really just lay the authenticity down. Like we can get a wrestler, we can get somebody jacked and who could just look brutal and look strong. But Anthony’s so much more than that brute physique. He’s so much more than the wrestler. He’s the soul that has been darkened, and he’s trying to make light of it. And so he trusted me as an actor, a thespian, who cares so much about the craft that I would transform, and I would do it in a way that put respect onto it and onto the community that he’s a part of. And even to this day, I [ask him], “So what’s good? You like it?” He just loves it. He’s so proud. But I’m sure the conversation will come up about [me not being disabled], and I support that conversation all the way through. I understand the conversation, but I just know that getting that green light from Anthony was a big part of me going forward with it, and saying, all right, if I’m gonna do it, I better learn how to be on those crutches. I better learn how to wrestle, and I better learn how to balance, and I better learn the mindset of what it’s like to actually go through this struggle and do it right.
I think you did, and I talked to Anthony on the red carpet and he said you did. So I think there’s a lot of parallels between athletes and musicians.
JJ: This is true.
I know you grew up on 90s hip hop and that you’re also a rapper, and that you love to freestyle. I’m going to put you on the spot…
JJ: Don’t do this to me. I have had a long day! [laughs]. Okay, what do you want to do? Freestyle?
I would love it if you could give me an Unstoppable freestyle. Why should people watch the movie?
JJ: All right, you gotta just watch Unstoppable/ so you can know that losing isn’t even possible/ and self doubt ain’t probable/ and not believing yourself ain’t logical/ And so you gotta go watch Unstoppable/ so that at the end, you can come out and say, nothing’s impossible.
OK, bars!
JJ: Give me a label deal right now! You put me on the spot too. That was good. Luckily, a lot of words rhyme with unstoppable, if you think about it. Just go with the “oppable” words [laughs]. There’s not too many of them, and they’re all very motivational words: possible, unstoppable, probable. It works.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Unstoppable is now playing at the Toronto International Film Festival and will be released in theaters in November.
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