:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(728x238:730x240)/mercy-chris-pratt-2-101025-ba78768386e24fe2afe61dce4cb9b71e.jpg?ssl=1 "Chris Pratt Wanted to Be ‘Confined’ in a Chair for New Movie ‘Mercy’: Here’s Why")
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NEED TO KNOW
- Chris Pratt plays a detective accused of murdering his wife in the upcoming thriller Mercy
- In the film, the actor is strapped into a chair while his character undergoes a 90-minute trial in front of an AI judge
- Pratt asked to be physically tied in and said the “claustrophobia” he felt was “helpful” to his performance
Chris Pratt’s newest role has him largely tied into a chair — and he wanted it that way.
The actor, 46, plays a detective accused of murdering his wife in the upcoming thriller Mercy, which is scheduled for release in January.
Set in the near future, the film centers on a justice system that is powered by AI judges, who use everything from doorbell cameras to Facebook posts to text messages, to piece together a person’s guilt or innocence.
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Pratt’s character is strapped into a futuristic chair throughout his 90-minute trial, and while attending New York Comic Con, Pratt revealed that he specifically requested to be physically strapped in for the duration of his scenes.
“I asked them to confine me in it,” Pratt said on Oct. 9 during a panel interview alongside costar Kali Reis and director Timur Bekmambetov. “So I couldn’t, I didn’t have to pretend that I was strapped down.”
He continued, “I was cuffed to this chair both at the feet and at the hands. And for part of it with my head at the end when I’m about to be — well, I don’t wanna ruin the movie! — but, I’m strapped to this thing.”
“There’s a certain level of claustrophobia that you just naturally feel when you’re strapped down to something, and that was helpful, in fact,” added Pratt.
According to the father of four, it helped so much that he declined to learn how to get out of the chair himself.
“They said, ‘Well, if you want to get out, just, pop, you do this,’ ” Pratt recalled. “Like, I don’t wanna get out. I want you to lock me in so I can’t get out. That would be helpful to me in giving this performance that I’m completely stuck here.”
Pratt also explained that his character’s bare feet while strapped into the chair signify “an ode to Die Hard,” the 1988 classic thriller starring Bruce Willis.
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Mercy is set to hit theaters on Jan. 23, 2026.
