'Mercy' Exclusive Interview: Chris Pratt and Kali Reis

Moviefone speaks with Chris Pratt and Kali Reis about 'Mercy'. "The minute this movie grabs you, it does not let go for the full 90 minutes," Pratt said.

(L to R) Kali Reis and Chris Pratt star in 'Mercy'.

Opening in theaters on January 23rd is science fiction film ‘Mercy’, which was directed by Timur Bekmambetov (‘Wanted’) and stars Chris Pratt (‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ and ‘Jurassic World’), Rebecca Ferguson (‘Dune’), and Kali Reis (‘True Detective: Night Country’).

Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Chris Pratt and Kali Reis about their work on ‘Mercy’, what fans can expect from the new movie, how Pratt shot his scenes with Ferguson, and Reis’ experience being directed by Timur Bekmambetov.

Chris Pratt stars as Chris Raven in 'Mercy', from Amazon MGM Studios. Photo: Justin Lubin. © 2025 Amazon Content Services LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Moviefone: To begin with, Chris, what would you say to moviegoers sitting down right now to prepare them for the theatrical experience they are about to have?

Chris Pratt: Listen, I would say go pee before you see you sit down. There's no moment in this movie that you're going to be able to get up and leave. The minute it grabs you, it does not let go for the full 90 minutes. So, get your concessions, get your soda, get your popcorn, and get your 3D glasses ready. Turn your phone off and get ready for 90 straight minutes of sheer entertainment.

(L to R) Kali Reis stars as Ana and Chris Pratt as Chris Raven in director Timur Bekmambetov's film 'Mercy', from Amazon MGM Studios. Photo: Justin Lubin. © 2025 Amazon Content Services LLC. All Rights Reserved.

MF: Kali, is there anything you would like to add to that?

Kali Reis: That was the promo right there. The bathroom break is essential because if you must, there's not one second because literally you will experience it in real time in those 90 minutes. There are no time jumps, time cuts or anything. So, you don't want to miss a thing because there's some key evidence in there. You want to be solving the crime with them, I would say.

Rebecca Ferguson stars as Judge Maddox in 'Mercy', from Amazon MGM Studios. Photo: Courtesy of Amazon MGM Studios.© 2025 Amazon Content Services LLC. All Rights Reserved.

MF: Chris, I understand that you and Rebecca Ferguson filmed your scenes separately on different soundstages and would often do 40 minute long takes. Can you talk about that and what it was like for you to work in that specific way?

CP: Well, yeah, that was some of the technical limitations of creating this Mercy chamber inside of what we call the volume, which in the filmmaking world is essentially a sound stage with LED walls and ceiling that are going to project the final image all around you of the set that you're on. So, when we were shooting and moving the cameras around, there was no place for her to hide to have these conversations with me. So, she had to be on a different sound stage and far away that I couldn't hear her other than through a microphone. Because I'm supposed to be looking up at this projected image of her, like an Orwellian face from ‘Nineteen Eighty-Four’ sitting in front of me. I'm having a conversation and defending my life with this entity. But we hadn't shot that stuff yet, so I'm just looking at an eyeline up above me, and I'm hearing her voice in my ears. So that's why we had to have that separation. Because of the limitations of my being confined, it also opened us up to be able to shoot long takes, because I wasn't moving, and I wasn't going from one set to the next. It was like a stage place, so we did incredibly long takes, and that was a new and exciting challenge.

(L to R) Actor Kali Reis, director Timur Bekmambetov and actor Chris Pratt on the set of their film 'Mercy', from Amazon MGM Studios. Photo: Justin Lubin. © 2025 Amazon Content Services LLC. All Rights Reserved.

MF: Finally, Kali, what was it like for you to work with director Timur Bekmambetov and watch the specific way that he executed his vision for this project?

KR: He had a very specific vision, and he's so cool, and just nonchalant about this, but he's very exact at what he wants. But he's also very flexible. At one point, I think he had me hold the camera. He's just so unique about the perspectives that he wants, but he's the master at having the audience immersed in the actual experience, on top of having this 90-minute movie you experience. It was amazing to see how his mind works and what he was envisioning, and to see it come to life because there were so many different moving parts. There were drones with cameras in a volume stage. I'm on the squad copter but seeing where he wanted to go and how he had the editing process going while he was shooting was amazing to see because you don't really know. I have a body camera on I'm holding an iPhone. I didn't know what this is going to look like, but he knew, and I knew he knew because he was chilling. He always had this chill calm demeanor, and it was cool to work with him.

'Mercy' opens in theaters on January 23rd.

What is the plot of ‘Mercy’?

In 2029 Los Angeles, a detective (Chris Pratt) stands on trial accused of murdering his wife (Annabelle Wallis). He has 90 minutes to prove his innocence to the advanced AI judge (Rebecca Ferguson) he once championed, before it determines his fate.