Jennifer Lopez is moving on from her divorce from Ben Affleck one role at a time. As the singer-actress goes through a divorce battle in the public eye, she is drawing inspiration from her personal traumatic experiences to prepare for the roles. JLo is set to portray Judy Robles, the mother of NCAA wrestling champion Anthony Robles, in her upcoming film Unstoppable. She recently opened up about her "challenging relationships” and how she deals with them. At the film's promotional event, Jennifer revealed how her character's journey resonated with her own. "I think a lot of women have gone through that," the actress said, referring to the difficulties of balancing motherhood and personal struggles. Jennifer added, "She [Judy] and I talked a lot," as per Page Six.
Jennifer Lopez's character in Unstoppable deals with her own challenges while supporting her son's ascent to fame, a plotline that JLo found incredibly relevant. The singer-actress is herself mother to twins, Max and Emme, from her previous marriage with Marc Anthony. "I wanted to really understand Judy and make sure she felt safe with me [while] sharing details of her experience," Jennifer said.
She added, "When you talk to Judy's kids, including Anthony, they say, 'My mom's so positive, she's so great,' but there was a whole different story there that she was living, that you hide from your children."
Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck started dating in 2002 after meeting on the sets of Gigli. The couple soon got engaged but called off their wedding in 2004. Nearly two decades later, the duo rekindled their romance in 2021 and got married in Georgia in April 2022. As reports of trouble in the two-year-old marriage peaked earlier this year, they filed for divorce in August.
Directed by William Goldenberg, Unstoppable is produced by Ben Affleck's production company Artists Equity. The former couple are collaborating on the project despite having filed for divorce. The film will release in select theatres on December 6, before coming to Prime Video on January 16, 2025.