Kali Reis, a former world champion boxer turned actress, has made waves in Hollywood with her powerful performances, most notably in HBO’s True Detective: Night Country. The fourth season of the acclaimed anthology series, which aired in early 2024, marked a significant milestone in Reis’s acting career as she starred alongside Oscar-winner Jodie Foster. In a series of recent interviews, Reis opened up for the first time about her experience filming the show in the harsh landscapes of Iceland, sharing insights into the challenges, joys, and personal growth that came with the role. Her journey from the boxing ring to the screen, as detailed through various online sources, is a testament to her resilience, adaptability, and the unique perspective she brings as an Indigenous woman in the entertainment industry.

A New Arena: From the Ring to the Screen

Kali Reis, born on August 24, 1986, in Providence, Rhode Island, is no stranger to overcoming challenges. A member of the Seaconke Wampanoag tribe with Cape Verdean ancestry, Reis grew up in a tough environment, facing personal traumas that she channeled into a successful boxing career. She became a world champion in two weight classes, holding the WBC female middleweight title in 2016 and the WBA, WBO, and IBO female light welterweight titles between 2020 and 2022. Her boxing record stands at 19 wins, 7 losses, and 1 draw, with 5 knockouts, and she made history by participating in HBO’s first women’s boxing match in 2018 against Cecilia Brækhus.

Reis’s transition to acting began with her debut role in the 2021 indie film Catch the Fair One, which she co-wrote and starred in, earning a nomination for Best Female Lead at the Independent Spirit Awards. The film, centered on a Native American boxer searching for her missing sister, resonated deeply with Reis, who has long been an advocate for the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) movement. Her performance caught the attention of True Detective showrunner Issa López, who cast Reis as Evangeline Navarro, a tough Alaska state trooper in the show’s fourth season, subtitled Night Country. Paired with Jodie Foster’s character, Liz Danvers, Reis’s role marked her first major television project, a leap that both thrilled and intimidated her.

Stepping into Iceland’s Icy Embrace

Filming True Detective: Night Country took Reis to Iceland, where the production team recreated the fictional town of Ennis, Alaska, set during the region’s long, dark winter. The season, which premiered on January 14, 2024, follows Navarro and Danvers as they investigate the mysterious disappearance of scientists at an Arctic research station, a case that intertwines with the unsolved murder of an Indigenous woman. The Icelandic landscape, with its subzero temperatures and relentless winds, became a character in itself, adding a layer of authenticity to the story’s haunting atmosphere.

Reis, a Rhode Island native accustomed to New England winters, admitted in an interview with Bleacher Report that nothing prepared her for Iceland’s harsh conditions. “Nothing prepares you for the wind in Iceland,” she said, laughing as she recalled the seven months she spent on location for the 120-day shoot. The temperatures often dropped to -23 degrees Celsius, and the cast and crew worked through long night shoots to capture the perpetual darkness of the Arctic winter. In a conversation with USA TODAY, Reis shared a humorous struggle: “I tried to warm up my mouth before having to say a line—every single time, it didn’t work. Finally, I had to say, ‘Forget it!’” Foster, her co-star, echoed the sentiment, noting the difficulty of speaking in the freezing air, which made breathing a challenge during scenes.

Despite the physical toll, Reis found the environment transformative. In an NPR interview, she explained how the cold helped her connect with Navarro on a deeper level. “It made us really understand the characters in a way through our bodies, in a way that we wouldn’t be able to otherwise,” she said. The isolation and survivalist nature of the setting mirrored Navarro’s emotional journey, a character haunted by her mother’s unsolved murder and her struggle to belong as an Iñupiaq and Dominican woman in a remote community. Reis, who identifies as two-spirit, drew on her own experiences of feeling like an outsider in her mixed heritage, telling The Cut, “Not feeling like she had a place is something I resonate to a tee being from Wampanoag and Cape Verdean heritage and never feeling enough, having to prove yourself.”

Finding Beauty in the Harshness

Amid the grueling conditions, Reis discovered moments of unexpected beauty that left a lasting impression. In an interview with NBC News, she recalled the awe-inspiring northern lights that interrupted filming one night. “You can’t get used to the wind in Iceland, but you can look up and see the northern lights and, you know, that’s great,” she said. Foster shared a similar memory with Icelandair, describing how the entire crew would stop to marvel at the aurora borealis, a rare moment of wonder in an otherwise challenging shoot. These experiences not only provided a respite but also deepened Reis’s appreciation for the natural world, which resonated with the season’s themes of spirituality and connection to the land.

The production also brought in Indigenous actors from Alaska and Greenland, a move Reis praised for its authenticity. She told NBC News that the cast and crew formed a “makeshift family,” with the shared cultural experiences helping her shape Navarro’s character. Reis worked closely with producers Cathy Tagnak Rexford and Princess Daazhraii Johnson, both of Indigenous descent, to ensure Navarro’s portrayal was respectful and grounded. “Indigenous stories are not just in the past,” Reis emphasized, highlighting the season’s focus on the ongoing crisis of violence against Indigenous women.

Learning from a Legend

Working alongside Jodie Foster, a Hollywood veteran with a career spanning nearly six decades, was a transformative experience for Reis. She described the collaboration as akin to “being at a training camp with Mike Tyson in ‘86, in his prime,” a pugilistic simile that paid homage to Foster’s intensity and professionalism. In a Bleacher Report interview, Reis admitted to being initially overwhelmed by the opportunity, saying, “When I found out they cast Jodie Foster, I was like, ‘Oh, shit!’” But Foster quickly became a mentor and friend, helping Reis navigate the demands of her first major acting role.

Reis, who had only two acting credits prior to True Detective, leaned on her boxing background to adapt to the role. She told The Cut about her ritual of “checking in and checking out,” removing her jewelry—septum piercing and gauges—to fully embody Navarro, much like preparing for a fight. “It’s like the bell ringing,” she said, noting how the ritual allowed her to dive into the character and leave the emotional weight behind at the end of the day. Foster, in turn, taught Reis not to take acting too seriously, a lesson Reis shared with NBC News: “Unlike boxing, we can do this again, and if that doesn’t work, we’ll find what works.”

Their on-set dynamic translated into a compelling on-screen partnership, with critics praising the chemistry between Navarro and Danvers. Reis’s performance earned her a Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress, making her the first Native American woman to be nominated for an Emmy for acting. Foster, who won an Emmy for her role, called the experience one of the best in her career, a sentiment Reis echoed in a post on X, where she thanked Foster for making the filming process “one of the best experiences of my life.”

Challenges and Growth

Filming True Detective was not without its challenges, particularly for a newcomer like Reis. She admitted to The Cut that she grappled with self-doubt, questioning, “Am I capable, am I that good, or are people blowing smoke up my ass?” The intensity of the shoot, combined with the lack of sleep and the emotional depth required for Navarro’s story, pushed Reis to her limits. But her boxing background gave her the discipline to persevere. In a Vulture interview, she likened the experience to her early days in the ring: “It’s just another grueling training period with a victory on the other side.”

Reis also faced the challenge of filming intimate scenes, a new territory for her. In an interview with The Independent, she laughed about her initial uncertainty, asking the crew, “OK, you guys gotta explain everything, is there tongue in there?” Her character’s physicality, however, felt familiar. Navarro’s fight scenes, including a bar brawl where she takes on three men, allowed Reis to draw on her boxing skills, though she was quick to clarify, “Navarro wasn’t knocked out, she was just knocked down.” The role demanded a balance of strength and vulnerability, a duality Reis embraced as a two-spirit person who feels “completely comfortable being my feminine and completely comfortable being my masculine,” as she told Vulture.

A Lasting Impact

The experience of filming True Detective left a profound mark on Reis, both professionally and personally. After wrapping the season, she and Foster traveled to Alaska to visit the Indigenous communities that inspired the story, a trip Reis described to CBR as a “thank you” filled with local cuisine, singing, and dancing. The journey reinforced her commitment to advocating for Indigenous representation, a cause she has championed through her activism and her roles.

Reis’s performance in Night Country has solidified her place in Hollywood, with upcoming projects like Wind River: Rising and Asphalt City showcasing her growing versatility. Yet, she remains grounded, telling The New York Times, “I’ve always had to prove who I was and who I wasn’t.” Her time in Iceland, battling the elements and learning from Foster, was a defining chapter in that journey, one she reflects on with gratitude and humor. As Reis continues to break barriers—both in the ring and on screen—her story serves as an inspiration, proving that resilience, authenticity, and a willingness to embrace new challenges can lead to extraordinary success.