Jennifer Lopez learned early in her acting career the kind of pressure that comes with taking on an acting role that is based on a real person. She came under great scrutiny after playing Selena in the 1997 movie of the same name. Since then, Lopez has continued to roll up acting credits being herself in music videos or taking on fictional characters such as in “The Cell” and “Gigli.” Her latest work again has her playing a role based on a real person in the film “Unstoppable.” Lopez plays Judy Robles, the troubled but supportive mother to Anthony Robles (Jharrel Jerome), a young man who despite being born with only one leg fought to make his dream of being an NCAA wrestling champion come true. “Unstoppable” will be available on the streaming service of Prime Video starting Jan. 16. Unlike when she took on playing Selena after the death of the singer, Lopez had full access to the real Robles while she was preparing to play the role in “Unstoppable.” She explains that the process started with absorbing as much information as possible. “It really is to her credit how open and vulnerable she was,” Lopez says. “It is not an easy thing to put your life out there. I know that. “That was something that was key to me being able to tell her story in the best way. What you see here is a woman who is equal parts amazing and at the same time as complex and complicated as any woman and mother is.” Lopez is convinced that the honest information she got from Robles made it possible to get to the real emotional core of the story of the mother and her athlete son. The film – directed by William Goldenberg – shifts between the volatile home life Anthony faced with his determination to be a wrestling champion. After a sterling high school career, Anthony’s dream of wrestling for a college powerhouse such as Iowa University turns into a nightmare. His wrestling days looked to be over until the coach (Don Cheadle) of the Arizona State wrestling team offered him a non-scholarship chance to be part of the team. He would have to overcome incredible odds – and not just because of only having one leg – to reach the moment where he finally faces his greatest nemesis. Lopez points out that the heart of the story is the struggles that mother and son had both at home and on the mat. She had to understand Robles as a mother, wife and just as a woman, to be able to present the most honest portrayal of her as possible. “The whole thing is about being vulnerable,” Lopez says. “Because I am a mom, that’s where we first bonded when we talked. I understand some of the dynamics that come with difficult and challenging relationships. “I was able to kind of take what I knew and then take what she was telling me and take specific details of what she was telling me and bring it to the performance.” Lopez describes the small insights that Robles shared as “nuggets” that she could put together to make her performance as on-target as possible. That meant playing Robles as a mother who never wavered in support of her son while having her own struggles as a wife and mother. The way Lopez approached the role comes from decades of mixing in acting roles in 33 movies while building a successful music career. She has a worldwide box-office gross of over $3 billion while selling more than 80 million records. Her acting success also has come via streaming service as she had four number one streaming movies over the past two years including “Atlas,” “Mother,” “This Is Me … Now: A Love Story” and “Shotgun Wedding.” One of the reasons Lopez agreed to be in the movie had to do with how inspiring she found the wrestler’s story. “I feel very proud to be able to bring his story. I think the world is a better place with knowing Anthony Robles and his story,” Lopez says. Having the real person she was portraying gave Lopez the ultimate reference material. It also meant the person Lopez was playing would be watching her work and judging the performance. The thing that makes Robles the happiest in terms of the movie is that the love between mother and son was captured so beautifully. “The love was definitely captured but I think it is also the protectiveness that she caught,” Robles says. “That meant so much to me because the people who know me, that’s how I am. ‘Do not touch my baby.’ I am also ferocious and strong, and it was very real from her.” The film also stars Bobby Cannavale, Michael Peña, Anthony Robles and Mykelti Williamson.