Chris Pratt is stepping into darker territory with his upcoming thriller Mercy, in which he plays a Los Angeles detective racing against time to clear his name after being accused of his wife’s murder.

While preparing for the role, Pratt immersed himself in the world of real-life law enforcement, an experience he described as both eye-opening and emotionally challenging.

The Guardians of the Galaxy star shared that he spent time with members of the Los Angeles Police Department’s homicide division to understand the emotional toll their work takes. “I had a chance to work closely with the LAPD, especially the homicide unit, and to just sit down and talk to those guys,” Pratt said in an interview with People magazine. “Hearing some of their stories. That was the toughest part of the job. It’s staggering, the kind of trauma they deal with on a daily basis.”

The actor noted that while the film features plenty of action, including elaborate stunt sequences and car chases, the real challenge came from connecting with the weight of the officers’ real-life experiences. “We got to drive cop cars and even do some cool bar fight scenes,” Pratt recalled. “But what really stayed with me were the stories and the sense of duty these detectives have even when they’re facing unimaginable situations.”

He added that his time with the department gave him a newfound respect for the people behind the badge. “We often don’t realise there’s someone out there, right now, working a homicide case,” he said. “They’re heroes, and what they go through rarely makes the news.”

Mercyis expected to offer a mix of action and emotion, drawing from Pratt’s firsthand exposure to the grit and gravity of real police work.