Contributor: By Henry Arnaud

In the 2016 “Moonlight,” Jharrel Jerome established himself as a young actor to follow. At the 74th Golden Globe Awards, ‘Moonlight’ received six nominations, the second highest of all film nominees. It won the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture – Drama. Since then, Jerome has appeared in movies such as “Monster” and “Concrete Cowboy” and TV shows including “When They See Us,” “Mr. Mercedes,” “I’m a Virgo” and “Full Circle.”

 At this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, Jerome promoted “Unstoppable.” That William Goldenberg-directed film is based on the real-life story of Anthony Robles. Despite being born without a right leg, Robles rose to become an NCAA Division I wrestling champion and eventually won the national championship against the school that rejected him, national powerhouse Iowa.

It took almost five years to get the movie finished, between the pandemic and the actors’ strike that stopped production multiple times.

You worked five years to become Anthony Robles in “Unstoppable.” Is that the type of character who sticks with you for a very long time? Or can you let it go  once the shooting is over?

It’s a mix of both. I think what I’m taking forever, hopefully, is his work ethic. I’ve never been a lazy guy, don’t get me wrong, I’ve always been varied about my work, and I’ve always been focused on getting the work done. But I saw it in a way that I’ve never seen it before — with him and his ability.  I have the gym regularly in my routine. If I miss a few days at the gym, I’m like ‘Oh no, God, what’s going on?’ So, it’s that will power that’s feed into my career. A lot of people are not looking at me like a kid anymore, you know, they are seeing a man.

During your training with Robles, did you wrestle with him?

I trained with him. I wrestled with him. I wrestled him. And I had a terrible loss. I had my arm at the back behind my head. But toward the end of the training (I got better). He was there every day. I really am grateful for the process. At first, I was nervous. I thought it would be a bit of pressure to be with him all the time, but it informed the character so much and he pushed me. He taught me things that he would think about while he was wrestling, and so it helped.

 Do you feel “Unstoppable” starts the next phase of your career?

I hope so. I think so, based on the caliber of people I was surrounded with in “Unstoppable”; it’s surreal and makes me so humble. I’m like the lead of a movie that has Don Cheadle in it! I admire him so much. I feel like this is a major step in my career. I’m still kind of like ‘the kid’ right now in Hollywood, the young kid.  ‘Unstoppable’ is a major motion picture that has such a brilliant story and a brilliant team behind it. I think it’s going to do something for me. I don’t know, but I really hope so.

You live in New York, not L.A. Does that make a difference in the way you approach your career?

Definitely. Being in New York keeps me so close to who I am and my roots. And it’s very easy. It’s a thin line of who you are and who you can become. I see my mom every Sunday, I see my family every week. I’m with my friends who I’ve known for years now, and New York is home. And so being home, it keeps me comfortable within my body. I think as an actor you need to be comfortable within your body. You need to be comfortable with your emotions. You need to know how to be able to control your emotions like a puppet. The second you start changing and start being somebody you’re not, that’s when those emotions go away and so it’s hard.

What is the next step in your career or what could be the dream project? I know Daniel Day-Lewis is your favorite actor. Any hopes of costarring with him?

That would be the dream… No, because I’d be too scared (laugh). I’m just kidding. I would love to. That would be cool. But I’d love to write my next project.

Do you write now?

I have a passion for writing, and I would love to write something one day, for sure.

Would you like to direct as well?

I have collaborated with incredible directors, and they make it look like it’s so stressful, so I don’t know about directing and helming a whole project. Maybe I’ll grow into that passion for it, but I just have a passion for telling stories, whether it’s making music, whether it’s acting and portraying it, or whether it’s writing a story. I just love coming up with stories. And being somebody else.