The conversation about mental health is becoming more widely accepted in the Black community, and a new film is helping to advance that narrative.  

Sanaa Lathan, Algee Smith, and Sierra Capri star in the new BET+ film “Young. Wild. Free.” which explores how trauma materializes in a Black family living in an urban Los Angeles neighborhood. Within the narrative, interpersonal dynamics are challenged across generations and when put to the test, tough decisions are made that cause a seismic shift. The cast also includes Mike Epps, Ta’Rhonda Jones, and Tamala Jones.

“You don't know how you're gonna react to something unless you've grown up in certain circumstances. That’s  the most relatable thing to the story,” says Capri of the film’s empathy.

“The goal is to shed light within the black community and show a step towards the solutions,” explained Smith of the film’s mental health examination. “We're dealing with it in our community in a big way and we don't talk about it and we don't address it. So it's time for us to start talking about it and addressing it and dealing with it in a real way,” added Lathan.

“Listen, therapy should be like a personal trainer. Like when you go to the gym and you have somebody push you and help you stay on your health journey for your body. Everybody should have moments in their lives where they deal with somebody outside of their family who's objective and you work on your brain,” she continued.

Lathan, whose career spans over 30 years, says she challenged herself to make her portrayal of Janice different from her roles in the past by relying on her “huge toolbox” of skills and theater background. 

“For Janice, it was very physical. I wanted her to look different from me. After, playing similar types of characters, you wanna break out and play somebody who is not Sanaa or a version of Sanna.”

Bet.com sat down with the cast of the film as they opened up on eradicating mental health stigmas in the Black community and how trauma bonding can have a profound effect on all generations.

Bet.com: Algee, when you read the part of the script where you are held up at gunpoint, what thoughts came to mind?

Algee Smith: When I read the script, I was just kind of thrown off guard. I didn't know what was going on. I didn't know what [it] was leading up to. But when I went further into the script, it represented a sense of danger and a sense of thrill.

Bet.com: As an actor who dived into the entertainment industry at 16, does your life intersect with the character you portray as tries to balance life as a high school student and a caretaker to his younger siblings?

Algee Smith: I did have certain things that I had to adjust to [while]  making certain amounts of money at an early age or certain family things you kind of feel like now you're responsible for at a young age. I'm [also] a big brother of my own. I'm like, I'm the oldest of maybe like nine, so I naturally relate to the mindset of protectability.

Bet.com: Sierra, how did you prepare to portray Cassidy in the scope of her complexities?

Sierra Capri: When you're in certain circumstances, it's very easy to get influenced by what's going on around you and let that overpower your emotions and anything that you wanna do to help you get out of certain circumstances. We had sit-down conversations and rehearsals and she [Banks] told me her vision for the character and she asked my thoughts and at the end of the day, we just knew that we wanted to, we wanted it to be relatable. 

Bet.com: In the film, Cassidy confronts Brandon after he shoots and kills another character, telling him that she and him are mirrors. Do you think her reasoning is spot on?

Sierra Capri: Absolutely. I think in terms of trauma bonding, they definitely have a lot of similarities in that way. They just express them a little differently than the other, but I think they both are searching for something in the other person.

Bet.com: Algee, what are your thoughts here? Would you say that your character was a reflection of Cassidy?

Algee Smith: 1000%, in many different ways that may be unexpected.

Bet.com: Sanaa, would you say that your character, Janice, reflects Cassidy and Brandon to some degree?

Sanaa Lathan: Yes, they are.That's what happens when you have good writing and multidimensional characters. They're all similarly going through different versions of their pain and how they navigate it. Janice is an auntie of mine. I think we all have a woman like Janice in our life. And so I couldn't wait to play her because I had so much compassion. 

Bet.com: Sanna, your role as Janice is unlike anyone you’ve portrayed throughout your career. Please describe the transformation you experienced to give Janice a voice.

Sanaa Lathan: With every character you start, every character dictates their process. That started with the physicality and she was one of those women who changed her wigs, like we change our earrings. And she was a smoker. That, to me, kind of highlights a certain stress relief. She's highly stressed out and she's dealing with her mental health issues. And so, for me, it was doing research into people with all kinds of mental illness. 

Bet.com: Towards the film's end, Brandon and Janice attend therapy together. What do you want audiences to take away from that illustration?

Algee Smith: We just want to highlight what those challenges look like within our community. 

Sanaa Lathan: And there's no shame.

Algee Smith: There's none because that's what it is. It's such a stigma. Certain healing processes can really help you. He and his mom going to therapy together is a big step.

Sierra Capri: We can all relate to the art of suppressing. I think that is too often encouraged within urban communities and minority households. Nobody's perfect; everyone's been through something, and I don't think that’s something that you should be ashamed of or shunned. I go to therapy; I'm an advocate for it.

Bet.com: The ending of the film is a huge jolt. What do each of you just make of how this story unfolded?

Sanaa Lathan: Part of the genius to me of this movie is that kind of ambiguity that creates people debating and it's like they take the movie with them and continue to talk about it. 

Algee Smith: I agree. I love a crazy turn of events, a crazy reveal, or a crazy curtain pull at the end of a movie. So, when I saw it on the page, it was really wild. It kind of tripped me out. 

Bet.com: Brandon and Cassidy share a hot moment in the back of her vehicle. Was there an intimacy coach on set to help you both navigate that scene?

Algee Smith: There was definitely an intimacy coach because we wanted to make sure everybody was protected. What I really loved was that it was not too much, and it served its purpose.