In Emergency, Donald Elise Watkins Poses the Uncomfortable Question: “What Would You Do?”

Picture Supply: Courtesy of Sundance Institute

Donald Elise Watkins is absorbing the acclaim of his new movie, Emergency. Directed by Carey Williams, the coming-of-age buddy comedy — which premiered at this 12 months’s Sundance Movie Competition — follows two school college students, Kunle (Watkins) and Sean (RJ Cyler), as they set out for an epic evening of partying in hopes of turning into the primary Black college students to finish their faculty’s legendary fraternity social gathering tour. Appears fairly easy, proper? Effectively, earlier than the evening even will get began, their plan will get derailed after they discover a drunk white lady handed out of their lounge. It is there after which that Kunle and Sean should act fast and weigh out the professionals and cons of whether or not or not they need to name the cops.

Watkins stars because the straight-A medical scholar Kunle, who’s mainly tagging alongside on his vape-smoking greatest good friend’s journey simply to appease him. Kunle comes from a privileged household and simply acquired accepted into Princeton College. Sean, however, was raised in a much less privileged surroundings and is already conscious of what it means to be a Black man in America. This distinction is made crystal clear from the very begin of the movie. “There’s so many various undertones with bias and division, even inside your personal race,” Watkins tells POPSUGAR of the movie. “It is fascinating as a result of I didn’t develop up like Kunle. I grew up extra like Sean . . . [But] I believe his innocence was one thing that actually attracted me as a result of I did not have that in my very own life.” In a approach, Watkins discovered himself getting jealous of Kunle’s naïveté. “He thinks you simply put your head down, you’re employed onerous, and the whole lot will probably be OK. And it isn’t at all times that approach,” Watkins notes. “So yeah, selfishly I used to be wishing that I had a few of that in my very own life.”

The movie tackles quite a lot of necessary social points from racial injustice to Black masculinity. And as an individual of colour myself, there have been a number of scenes that had been admittedly very powerful to look at, however Williams does an unbelievable job of balancing the comedy and drama. “These are conversations that should be addressed and should be had,” Watkins says. “I’ve a son and he hates drugs. He simply will not take it. He is like, ‘Wait, is it drugs? No, I am good.’ However in the event you give it to him like, ‘Oh no, these are gummies.’ He is like, ‘Okay, cool.’ . . . So it is like giving [these conversations] to folks in gummy type . . . We’re not right here to reply any questions as a result of we have not answered any questions in our society.”

One other spotlight of the film is seeing Kunle and Sean’s friendship play out on display. It is uncommon that we get to see two Black males showcase their feelings. And for these questioning, sure, Watkins and Cyler are simply as tight in actual life. “RJ is likely one of the nicest people who you’ll ever meet in your life, and he’s the explanation that I used to be in a position to be so snug,” Watkins says, revealing that Cyler was the primary individual he met from the forged and crew. “I care about him as a human. I care about him as an individual. And there have been solely a handful of instances the place we shot the place he wasn’t on set, and I bear in mind I used to be telling them earlier that I felt like RJ was my little [security] blanket.”

Emergency additionally stars Sebastian Chacon, Sabrina Carpenter, and Maddie Nichols. In between takes, Watkins would goof off with the forged by snapping photos, taking part in “Rock, Paper, Scissors,” and even breaking out into music now and again — particularly, Tobe Nwigwe’s “Make It House,” which you’ll be able to take a look at within the video above. “It was only a actually, very easy forged and crew to be part of. I would say greatest forged, greatest crew, and that is not any disrespect to anyone who I’ve ever labored with, it is simply these guys had been it. I really like them. I would work with any of them any day,” Watkins gushes. “There was this ‘Make It House’ music, and it is actually all you need for these characters — to make it dwelling on the finish of the evening. We’re in a really actual scenario, in dire straits, and now we have to assist this individual, however we even have to consider ourselves and we acquired to make it dwelling and you do not know if that is truly going to occur.”

Following its Sundance premiere, Emergency is getting a restricted theatrical launch on Could 20 forward of its official Could 27 Prime Video premiere. Whereas Watkins understands that the film will resonate with everybody in another way, he hopes that it serves as a type of therapeutic. “I hope that [viewers] can see a distinction in perspective and it sparks a dialog and might change one thing,” Watkins says. “I do know for me it was so many various issues, however if you speak about seeing Black males allowed to be full vary of movement characters and never simply taking part in at one or two issues, I really like that it permits us to be susceptible. You do not see that rather a lot with Younger Black males.” Watkins desires viewers to know that “trauma will not be one thing that you just simply have to smile and bear and take care of.” He desires folks to comprehend that and totally heal from it.

As for what’s subsequent for Watkins, the sky is really the restrict. And if Williams is right down to make a sequel movie, think about Watkins in! “In the event that they present up, I am exhibiting up,” he exclaims. “I am prepared.”