Reba McEntire: 'The Hammer' based on real-life Nevada judge

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 6 (UPI) -- Reba McEntire said she studied real-life Nevada judge Kimberly Wanker, who was the inspiration for her character, Judge Kim Wheeler, in the movie, The Hammer, premiering Saturday at 8 p.m. EST on Lifetime.

"I get to do a lot of different things that I found out that Kim Wanker actually did in her court," McEntire said in a recent Television Critics Association Zoom panel. "She's got a great sensibility and she's very practical."

In the film, Wheeler arrives for her seat in Nevada's Fifth Judicial Circuit and shakes up the justice system. The real-life Wanker presides over three courthouses that cover 25,000 square miles, though Wheeler only goes between two in the movie.

McEntire, 67, said Wanker was too busy to accommodate the actor in her actual courtrooms. But, Wanker was accessible for McEntire's questions via phone and text.

Based on her conversations with Wanker, McEntire implored screenwriters Karen Wyscarver and Sanford Golden to add more true anecdotes to the script.

"How she stands up to people who have done other people wrong, she makes it all fair," McEntire said. "Sometimes, the things she does are almost like talking to a child."

The Hammer shows how Wheeler makes camp in the back of her truck as she drives from courthouse to courthouse. Lest viewers think that was artistic license, McEntire confirmed the real Wanker practically lives in her truck, too.

"It's a pop-up tent thing on the back," McEntire said. "She pretty much loves to be outside, sleep under the stars."

McEntire released her first country music single in 1976. She became an actor with the 1990 movie, Tremors.

In the past 33 years, McEntire led two sitcoms, first Reba and Malibu Country and then Big Sky, in which she currently appears. McEntire said acting was a natural extension of singing.

"I act on stage, too, when I'm singing because I become a character for all of the people in the songs," McEntire said. "Like when I sing 'Fancy,' I am the mother that had to let her daughter go out into the world."

McEntire said she depends on scripted dialogue as much as she depends on the lyrics to her songs.

"What they put on that paper comes to life when we get out there in front of the camera or in front of the audience," McEntire said. "I love to sing other people's thoughts and what they've written and same as a script for a television show or a movie."

McEntire has managed to balance recording and touring with acting for three decades. Her 2023 already is shaping up to be busy.

"We pretty much have our tour dates set all the way into 2023," McEntire said. "It's all about scheduling and timing, and thank the good Lord that so many opportunities have come my way."

The Hammer could be the first of many Karen Wheeler movies. Or, it could continue in other ways.

"It could have been a limited series," McEntire said. "It could be a series. It could be movies continuing on, because Kim does have so many great stories to tell."