Donald Elise Watkins on Playing Kunle in Emergency Film

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 yr’s Sundance Movie Pageant — follows two school college students, Kunle (Watkins) and Sean (RJ Cyler), as they set out for an epic evening of partying in hopes of changing into the primary Black college students to finish their college’s legendary fraternity get together 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 front room. 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 principally tagging alongside on his vape-smoking greatest buddy’s journey simply to appease him. Kunle comes from a privileged household and simply received accepted into Princeton College. Sean, alternatively, 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 individual race,” Watkins tells POPSUGAR of the movie. “It is attention-grabbing, 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 manner, Watkins discovered himself getting jealous of Kunle’s naivete. “He thinks you simply put your head down, you’re employed exhausting, and every thing will probably be OK. And it is not at all times that manner,” 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 a wide range of vital 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 robust to observe, however Williams does an unbelievable job of balancing the comedy and drama. “These are conversations that must be addressed and must be had,” Watkins says. “I’ve a son and he hates medication. He simply will not take it. He is like, ‘Wait, is it medication? No, I am good.’ However in case you give it to him like, ‘Oh no, these are gummies,’ he is like, ‘OK, cool.’ . . . So it is like giving [these conversations] to individuals in gummy kind . . . 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 without doubt one of the nicest folks that 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 particular person 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 occasions 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 footage, taking part in “Rock, Paper, Scissors,” and even breaking out into tune once in a while — particularly, Tobe Nwigwe’s “Make It Residence,” which you’ll be able to try within the video above. “It was only a actually, very easy forged and crew to be part of. I might 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 like them. I might work with any of them any day,” Watkins gushes. “There was this ‘Make It Residence’ tune, and it is actually all you need for these characters — to make it house on the finish of the evening. We’re in a really actual state of affairs, in dire straits, and we have now to assist this particular person, however we even have to consider ourselves and we received to make it house 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 discuss seeing Black males allowed to be full-range-of-motion characters and never simply taking part in at one or two issues, I like that it permits us to be weak. You do not see that quite a bit with younger Black males.” Watkins desires viewers to know that “trauma just isn’t one thing that you simply simply have to smile and bear and take care of.” He desires individuals to appreciate that and absolutely 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, take into account Watkins in! “In the event that they present up, I am displaying up,” he exclaims. “I am prepared.”