Chris Pratt stuns fans with his new role in upcoming thriller film ‘Mercy’

Chris Pratt’s latest role sees him in an unusual position literally strapped to a chair for most of the film and it turns out, that was entirely his idea.

The 46-year-old actor stars in the upcoming futuristic thriller film Mercy, set to hit theatres on January 23, 2026.

In the film, Pratt plays a detective accused of murdering his wife, forced to stand trail in a justice system governed entirely by artificial intelligence. 

These AI judges use everything from doorbell cameras and Facebook posts to text messages to determine guilt or innocence.

Throughout the intense 90-minute trial that unfolds on screen, the Passengers actor’s character is physically restrained in a high-tech chair and that’s exactly how the actor wanted it.

Pratt revealed on October 9, during a panel interview at New York Comic Con, appearing alongside co-star Kali Reis and director Timur Bekmambetov, “I asked them to confine me in it, So I couldn’t, I didn’t have to pretend that I was strapped down.”

The Terminal List star elaborated, “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.”

For the American actor, the physical restraint wasn’t just a dramatic prop it became a powerful tool for tapping into his character’s emotional and psychological state.

‘There’s a certain level of claustrophobia that you just naturally feel when you have strapped down to something and that was helpful, in fact, “he added.

So helpful, in fact, that the father-of-four didn’t even want to know how to escape.

"They said, 'Well, if you want to get out, just, pop, you do this,” he recalled, adding, “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."

The film also includes a subtle nod to one of Pratt’s favorite classics. His character appears barefoot while strapped into the chair something, Chris Pratt confirmed is an ode to Die Hard, the iconic 1988 thriller starring Bruce Willis.