Who is Kali Reis? True Detective star who plays Evangeline Navarro
Boxing fans may recognise the drama's breakout star.
While the dark revival of True Detective is sure to attract attention simply for having Jodie Foster in the lead role, co-star Kali Reis might well end up being the most talked-about performer in the cast.
The professional boxer takes on the role of Evangeline Navarro, a state trooper living in the fictional Alaskan town of Ennis, who believes a bewildering group disappearance has connections to a cold murder case that still haunts her.
Given the spotty history of athletes transitioning to acting, you could forgive some healthy scepticism over whether this particular casting decision would pay off – but anyone who's seen the show will be aware that it resoundingly does.
Indeed, if her powerful performance in True Detective: Night Country leaves you interested in learning more, here's everything you need to know about boxer-turned-actor Kali Reis.
Who is Kali Reis?
Age: 37
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Kali Reis made her name as a professional boxer, participating in 27 fights across her career, resulting in 19 wins, seven losses and a single tie. She has secured several titles in the welterweight and middleweight classes.
Although Reis hasn't fought since her victory against Jessica Camara in November 2021, she has clarified that she isn't formally retired, but taking an extended hiatus due to a health issue.
She told Bleacher Report: "To see women's boxing on the rise and see where it's at from when I started to where it's at now and where it's going, I've been a part of that.
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"I like to say I'm the J Cole of women's boxing because I ain't retired, and I'll drop a hot 16 on you real quick."
During her recovery process, Reis has shifted focus to acting, playing the lead in acclaimed indie thriller Catch the Fair One and taking a supporting role in 2022 action flick Black Flies.
Coming up, she'll appear in Wind River: The Next Chapter – a sequel to the hard-hitting 2017 drama, which addressed the social issue of missing and murdered Indigenous women (as does True Detective: Night Country).
What has Kali Reis said about True Detective?
On the move from boxing ring to television drama, Reis told Vogue: "I find a lot of parallels. The biggest is always being present. You can practice and rehearse, but you don’t know how things will go until that camera’s in front of you.
"And the repetition and learning what worked and didn’t work and having somebody on the other side of the camera or a coach see what you don’t see. I’m a perfectionist, a little OCD Virgo."
Meanwhile, teasing her dynamic with Foster's police chief Liz Danvers, she told The Hollywood Reporter: "Danvers and Navarro absolutely hate each other, but they work so well together. It falls in line with the True Detective umbrella.
"At one point, they had a good relationship. They had so much love and respect for one another. But something went wrong. With relationships — really good relationships — that does happen, in these deep connections.
"But they respect each other’s skills, and they know they need each other to solve this case."
Who is Evangeline Navarro in True Detective?
Evangeline Navarro is a Dominican and Indigenous woman, who moves to the remote Alaskan town of Ennis to serve as a police officer, following an earlier stint in the military.
However, a difficult event from the past – which is shrouded in mystery at the start of the season – led her to transfer to the state troopers, leaving her formerly close relationship with colleague Liz Danvers severely estranged.
Some time later, sensitivity remains over one particular case that Danvers failed to pursue: the brutal murder of an Indigenous woman named Annie, who was an accomplished midwife and activist.
When a group of scientists disappear from a local Arctic research centre, Navarro is convinced that there is some kind of connection with Annie's grim fate, prompting her to join forces with Danvers once more.
True Detective: Night Country premieres on Sky Atlantic and NOW on Monday 15th January 2024. Check out Sky deals here.
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