True Detective returns for season 4 on January 14. The anthology series is headed to Alaska for a brand-new mystery. Kali Reis and Jodie Foster are the leads of True Detective: Night Country.
So, who is Kali Reis? The 37-year-old is a double threat in Hollywood and inside the ring. Hollywood Life has rounded up everything you need to know about this rising star in the acting world.
Kali Stars in ‘True Detective: Night Country’
Kali plays Detective Evangeline Navarro in True Detective season 4. Detective Navarro teams up with Detective Liz Danvers, played by Jodie, to solve the case of 8 men who disappear without a trace in Ennis, Alaska. These disappearances open up a well of secrets in the frigid territory.
Kali actually didn’t have to audition for her role in True Detective. She was scouted after impressing the True Detective casting director in the film Catch the Fair One, according to NBC News.
Kali Is a Professional Boxer
Kali is a former two-division boxing champion. She held the WBC female middleweight title in 2016. Between 2020 and 2022, she held the WBA, WBO, and IBO female light welterweight titles.
Kali Made Her Acting Debut in 2021
Kali’s first acting project earned her critical acclaim. She starred in the 2021 film Catch The Fair One. She was nominated for Best Female Lead at the Independent Spirit Awards.
Kali Has Native American Roots
Kali, born in Rhode Island, descended from the Cherokee, Nipmuc, and Seaconke Wampanoag tribes. She is also of Cape Verdean ancestry. Kali is boxing’s first Indigenous American female world champ.
“It’s never been about me; it’s always been about the bigger picture, just doing what we’ve always done as Indigenous people,” Kali told NBC News about choosing roles that showcase Indigenous issues. “We get taught to have a voice for those who can’t speak, dance for those who can’t dance, fight for those who can’t fight.”
Kali Was in a Serious Motorcycle Accident
Kali got into a motorcycle accident in 2012 and suffered a serious knee injury. “I got told, ‘You’re probably not going to box anymore,'” she said in 2016. The boxer later injured herself while working as a bouncer and wasn’t able to be in the ring. “That one outlet that I always had that I found that helped me, I didn’t have. So, I had the liquor store,” Kali said. “I’d get a 30-rack [of Bud Light] every two days and go through that, and about a bottle of [Jack Daniels] a day.”