IN CONVERSATION WITH MARIA STEN

interview by JANA LETONJA

For Maria Sten, stepping into the spotlight feels like the natural culmination of a career built across disciplines, cultures and continents. The Danish-Swedish-Congolese actress, writer and director has transformed fan-favorite Frances Neagley into an essential part of Prime Video’s Reacher universe. Now, she takes center stage in Neagley, leading the highly anticipated spinoff of Reacher as the formidable former Army Master Sergeant turned private investigator. A former professional dancer and model who was crowned Miss Denmark in 2008, Maria’s journey has never followed a conventional path. As she moves from standout supporting player to leading woman, Neagley marks both an expansion of a hugely successful franchise and a defining new chapter of her own.

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shoes SCHULTZ
ring PIANEGONDA

You’ve lived with Frances Neagley for several years now. What was your first reaction when you learned she would be getting her own show?
Excitement, then incredulity. I’m generally skeptical of overly positive news, especially in our business, so it took a while to convince myself that it was actually happening. But it has been a long time coming and I can’t believe we’re finally here.

There’s a significant difference between being a fan-favorite supporting character and becoming the center of the story. Did that shift change the way you approached Neagley?
It didn’t shift in my approach to the work, because you always have to bring a full human being to the material, but the nature of Neagley’s role in the show is obviously different because she is our point of view character now. So she has to guide as such through the world and the case at hand, and as a consequence, she has to convey a lot more information to the audience. So of course it’s a much heavier workload, but one that I’m excited to take on as it really lets the audience get to know Neagley.

Neagley is incredibly capable and self-contained, but strength can sometimes hide vulnerability. Were you excited to explore more of what exists beneath her armor?
That was the most exciting part of doing this spin-off. I wanted to dive in to this dark mystery that she’s been carrying around all her life. What I love most about acting is always the unexpected about the character, the things they’re trying to hide and the lies they tell themselves. And whether she’s been aware of it or not, Neagley has been hiding for a long time, and there is a lot of pain there, so I’m glad we’re finally getting to see that complicated depth in her.

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shoes SCHULTZ
ring PIANEGONDA

She has a very particular relationship with trust, independence and emotional intimacy. Which part of her psychology do you find most fascinating?
She starts from a place of complete denial, but what surprised me is how quickly she absorbs this new information about herself and makes a conscious choice to pivot. Many people go through their entire lives never wanting to face change because it is simply too hard to peel back the veil and sort through the mess underneath. But Neagley chooses to face herself. And even though she is brave on the battlefield, it’s often a much harder to journey to fight your inner demons inside your own head and body, so I love that we see her be brave in this arena too, which also reflects the show’s theme of trauma, and how people deal with it in many different ways.

Reacher has developed an enormous international fanbase. Did you feel a particular responsibility knowing how invested viewers already are in Neagley?
Certainly. There is always an added pressure of responsibility when you play a character that already exists in the world in some capacity, especially one that is known and loved by so many before we’re even getting started. The most important goal for me was to make sure I honored Lee Child’s creation from the books, then adding in the great new ingredients that Nick Santora put into who Neagley is in Reacher, and now we get to really expand on that and build it into its own language with Neagley, which is going to be so juicy. And it’s exciting to do something that’s not based on source material because there will be no spoilers out there. But ultimately, having Lee Child’s stamp of approval was the most important part for me, so I’m honored that we have that.

Does dance also influence the way you think about rhythm and physical storytelling when you’re building a character?
I’m a very physical person, so working on physicality is a huge part of building a character for me. Dance has definitely helped in terms of having that body awareness of how a character moves, but also how they move in relation to people around them, especially with Neagley having haphephobia. She has an extra heightened sense of spacial awareness that is always present, which has a huge impact on how she gets through the day. And of course, the dance background also comes in handy when doing stunt choreography, as well as having to hit your marks for camera. It’s all a dance, really.

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trousers LIBERTINE
shoes SAINT LAURENT
earrings PIANEGONDA

Having written and directed yourself, do you find yourself watching a set differently—thinking about framing, pacing and the larger story beyond your own performance?
Yes, I can’t help it, but I often try not to, because it’s not my main job as an actor. My main job is to be in the moment and tell the truth of the scene as my character, but I do believe it’s helpful to understand the greater context of what is happening on set, because it helps me understand the director’s intention and then I can be additive in problem solving a scene. But I also just love storytelling and I’m always looking to improve as an artist, so I see every day on set as an opportunity to learn and grow.

Before acting, you worked professionally as a dancer and model and were crowned Miss Denmark. Looking back, what did those worlds teach you that you still carry into your career today?
They’ve all taught me different things, but the main takeaway from all three is work ethic. You have to have a lot of self-discipline to make a career in any of those fields, let alone sustain one. Talent only gets you so far. 

Fashion has been part of your life long before acting became your primary focus. What does personal style mean to you now?
Personal style to me means being confidently and comfortably yourself in what you’re wearing without trying too hard.

full look LALO

Hollywood often likes to place people into clearly defined categories, yet your career has consistently resisted that. Has being a multi-hyphenate always felt natural to you?
Yes, I’m not very good at being put in a box. I think growing up in Denmark as a mixed kid and then becoming an immigrant in America, I’ve always felt like an “other”, and I’ve had to embrace that and let it be a way to always be myself instead of trying to fit in. That, or I’m just incredibly stubborn. I’ve never been very good at being told what to do. I’m a rebel at heart.

What keeps you fulfilled outside of your career?
Being in nature, time with friends and family and horseback riding.

Neagley feels like a defining moment for you professionally. When you look beyond this chapter, what kind of career, and creative legacy, do you want to build?
An unexpected one, true to my rebel form. I’d like to tell stories that matter, and I'd like to show the world that we don’t have to be just one thing, we can pivot or reinvent ourselves at any point and defy other people’s narratives about who we should be, what we should do and how. Especially as a woman of color.

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necklace PIANEGONDA