Code 3 is an action dramedy that follows Rainn Wilson as a paramedic on his last shift. Before he leaves, he has to train a new recruit, Jessica (Aimee Carrero), who experiences a lot of stressful calls along the way. The film is directed by Christopher Leone and is based on co-writer Patrick Pianezza’s time as an EMS worker, which includes a lot of wild reenactments, such as a vomiting drug addict and an accidental overdose on a paramedic.

Wilson chats with Nerd Reactor about his new movie and how it reminded him of The Office.

“Yeah, I would say the episode of The Office that’s most like Code 3 was the fire drill,” Wilson tells Nerd Reactor. “Where Dwight says, ‘Today, smoking is gonna save lives.’ And they’re throwing the cat up in the ceiling and everyone is running around like crazy. You know, we shot that over the course of two days, and usually The Office is pretty sedate, right? You know, it’s behind desks and it’s kind of awkward little scenes. And that was the one that was rip-roaring mayhem. And that was kind of like filming Code 3 almost every single day.”

Code 3 captures the many highs and lows of being a paramedic, which includes the stress of trying to save lives and dealing with asshole doctors. With Wilson portraying Randy, audiences get to see all of the craziness in the life of a paramedic.

“We wanted to make a movie that was true to EMS (Emergency Medical Services) workers,” Wilson explained. “EMS workers deal with a lot of comedy and a lot of drama on a 12-hour shift, and it’s coming at them. There’s something absurd that will happen. Someone will swallow their pet hamster or something like that. And then 15 minutes later, they’re treating gunshot wounds. So this movie is kind of a wild ride and is part, in turns, hysterical and in turns, kind of riveting. And that’s the truth of these frontline workers.”

Playing the role of Dr. Serano is Rob Riggle, known for his comedic roles in films such as Step Brothers, The Hangover, and My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2.

“This sounds so bad, but I do enjoy playing the bad guy or at least the jerk,” Riggle admits. “But usually it’s a comedic jerk, who’s obviously being a jerk and a knucklehead and a dummy and all that stuff. And that’s fine with me. I don’t know what it says about me again, but I enjoy playing that. But this guy, Dr. Serrano, he was pretty cold and pretty sarcastic. And I wasn’t trying to be a comedic jerk as much as I was just a jerk. And that was fine. I like doing that. I like playing different characters. I love acting.”

Jessica (Carrero) acts as the audience surrogate, and as a new worker, she is filled with optimism.

“I think that Jessica is the audience,” she said. “You meet everyone through her eyes, and you’re able to experience the craziness of the world because it’s her first day on the job. It’s Randy’s last day on the job, and so that serves that purpose in a script. It’s like you always want somebody that the audience can be like, this is crazy, right? To say that when the audience is thinking it.

“And so it’s great to have that role because you get to react to everything that’s happening. And that’s what I loved about the script in general, because as an actor, I didn’t know much about this world. And so I’m able to learn, but also able to experience it for the audience. It’s not as fun as playing the villain or the antagonist, but it’s second best for sure.”

About Code 3

Synopsis: Directed by Christopher Leone (Parallels), Code 3 is a high-octane action dramedy that follows a world-weary paramedic on his final 24-hour shift as he trains his eager but inexperienced replacement. What begins as a routine night quickly unravels into a chaotic, citywide odyssey, testing their endurance, instincts, and sense of humor as they race from one emergency to the next.

The film stars Rainn Wilson, Lil Rel Howery, Aimee Carrero, Rob Riggle and Yvette Nicole Brown (Community, Avengers: Endgame).

It’s directed by Christopher Leone and written by Leone and Patrick Pianezza.