‘Mercy’ Star Kali Reis Talks Backstory, Trust and Timur Bekmambetov’s Calm on Set – INTERVIEW

Kali Reis kept ‘Mercy’ grounded by building a backstory behind the screens.

Kali Reis knew “Mercy” would move fast the moment she read the script. The film packs its story with screens, footage, and shifting viewpoints. However, Reis said the key stayed simple. She focused on character truth first, then let the tech support it.

“Mercy,” now playing in theaters, is set in the near future, and it follows a detective, played by Chris Pratt, who stands trial accused of murdering his wife. He has 90 minutes to prove his innocence to an advanced A.I. judge, voiced by Rebecca Ferguson, before it determines his fate.

Timur Bekmambetov directed the thriller from a script by Marco van Belle. Along with Pratt, Ferguson, and Reis, the cast includes Annabelle Wallis, Chris Sullivan, and Kylie Rogers.

Backstory First, Even When the Movie Moves Like a Machine

When I asked Reis how she stays grounded while scenes get layered with visuals later, she pointed to the basics. She said she locked onto the script and the life she built behind her character’s choices. That meant understanding why her character joined law enforcement and how she partners with Pratt’s character.

“It was really important for us to really have those backstories,” Reis said. She also stressed how easy it felt to believe the movie’s world. “It’s not far-fetched,” she said, adding that it reflects “the world we live in.”

Reis also credited Bekmambetov’s experience with this storytelling style. “Timor is such a master at this screen life type of genre,” she said. As a result, she said the movie’s constant screens never pulled her away from the moment.

Acting Without the Usual Cues

Because “Mercy” relies on surveillance angles and remote viewpoints, performers do not always play scenes in the usual way. Reis said she leans on her own human experience when the moment lacks typical body language cues. She tries to imagine what the character feels, then she lets that feeling land physically.

“I’m a very, like, visceral in my body type of artist,” Reis said. She added that empathy matters, even when she does not agree with a character’s choices. “It’s not me, it’s the character,” she said.

Reis also framed that work as part of why audiences watch movies. She made the release-date pitch with a laugh, saying, “That’s why we go watch the movies, which you guys should do on January 23rd.”

A “Secret” That Keeps Her Locked In

On a technical shoot, Reis said she builds small anchors that stay hers alone. She likes giving her character a “secret” that nobody else knows, even if it feels silly. That detail keeps her present when the set turns chaotic.

“It could be something really stupid,” she said, then offered an example: “They have an orange in their pocket.” She said it sounds minor, yet it grounds her.

That grounding matters on a film like “Mercy,” which stacks moving parts on moving parts. Reis pointed to “drones to phones, to ring cameras,” plus “different angles” and “CCTVs.” She also connected that feeling to modern life, noting, “There’s always something, somebody watching.”

Trusting Timur Bekmambetov’s Calm

Even with all that motion, Reis said Bekmambetov brought calm to the set. “He has such a level, calm energy about him,” she said. She described the shoot as chaotic “in all the great ways,” but she said his steady focus helped her settle in.

Reis also described the trust required when you cannot see the whole picture mid-shoot. “Sometimes I don’t, like, OK, I don’t see it,” she said. “But I trust you.”

Mercy is now playing in theaters.

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