Plenty of directors have amassed credits as editors, with Steven Soderbergh and Alfonso Cuaron being among the notable examples. But William Goldenberg is the rare case of an A-list editor who made the pivot to directing at the height of his prowess.
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Goldenberg, who won an Oscar for “Argo,” is about to find out if his mid-career gamble pays off as his helming debut “Unstoppable” makes its world premiere Sept. 6 at the Toronto Film Festival.
“I’ve always been a little slow to the party,” he says. “I played ice hockey my whole life, and when I was 15 years old, people made fun of me because I was the worst player in my neighborhood. And by the time I was 20, I was playing college ice hockey, and none of them were.”
His “Unstoppable” cast includes Jharrel Jerome, Jennifer Lopez, Don Cheadle, Bobby Cannavale and Michael Peña. The film chronicles the true story of Anthony Robles, who was born without a right leg but never let that interfere with his dreams of becoming a pro wrestler.
After his Oscar win in 2013, Goldenberg was approached to direct, but his editing slate was packed. But then “Unstoppable” producer David Crockett brought to him Anthony’s true story, and Goldenberg was intrigued.
“But what really made me want to do this was meeting Anthony,” Goldenberg says. “He’s just one of those people. When he walks into a room, the room lights up. It was the effect he had on other people, watching he the way he interacted with people, the way they left feeling better than when they started talking to him, and I thought the world could use a little bit of that.”
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Goldenberg was busy editing Ben Affleck’s “Air” when he showed his “Argo” teammate the script in October 2022. Affleck loved the project. Amazon, which distributed “Air,” was eager to get back into business with Affleck and the company signed on to make “Unstoppable,” with Affleck producing and Matt Damon executive producing. (Affleck and Damon’s Artists Equity served as the studio for the film as it did with “Air.”) Affleck enlisted his wife, Lopez, to play Anthony’s mother.
Still, the real life-based film also got thrown for a real-life loop. On the eve of the “Unstoppable” debut, Affleck and Lopez announced that they are divorcing. Lopez will walk the red carpet. But Affleck is not expected to attend the premiere.
As for any awkwardness, Goldenberg says “not really.”
“Everybody’s a professional, and that’s their own personal thing. I love them both. I mean, I know Ben better, but Jennifer was literally a dream to work with. She was incredible. And their personal life is their personal life,” he says.
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