[Editor’s note: The following contains some spoilers for Season 3 of Reacher.]

Summary

Season 3 of ‘Reacher’ saw Jack Reacher, played by Alan Ritchson, in an action-packed criminal enterprise facing a sociopathic foe from his past.

Maria Sten discusses her excitement for Neagley’s spin-off, focused on diving deeper into the character’s complexities.

Sten reveals her physical background prepared her for action scenes and shares details on filming the intense office fight.

In Season 3 of Reacher, based on Lee Child’s novel Persuader, the action-packed series saw Jack Reacher (Alan Ritchson) in the middle of a criminal enterprise as he tried to find a missing undercover DEA informant and came face to face with a sociopathic foe from his past. While his BFF Frances Neagley (Maria Sten), a private investigator who also served on his Special Investigations Unit, is always ready to have his back, that was difficult while he was locked away in Zachary Beck’s (Anthony Michael Hall) fortress and her own office came under attack.
During this one-on-one interview with Collider, Sten talked about what she loves about Neagley, when the spin-off became a reality, what she’s excited to dig deeper into, being all-in with the stunts, mixing action and humor for the big fight scene in Neagley’s office, her favorite Reacher and Neagley moment this season, and that her character will always have his back.

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Collider: When you joined the show, what were you hoping for with this character? Who did you hope she would be within the series and what has it been like to be able to go on that journey for three seasons now?
MARIA STEN: I didn’t really have any expectations when I first joined, quite frankly. I was like, “Ooh, this is great.” And I read the books and thought, “Oh, there’s so much to sink my teeth into.” I had been writing for about a year and change, at that point, because it was during COVID when all the productions were shut down. I was writing television instead of acting at the time, so by the time Reacher came around, I was really hungry to get back on set because I am an actor first. I was just so excited to sink my teeth into this project and this character, who is so mysterious in so many ways and so complex. We barely scratched the surface in Season 1. We get a little bit more in Season 2, and a little bit more context in Season 3. We still see her mostly as a person who shows up to be of service and who shows up for her best friend, but there’s just so much more, of course, going on underneath it all. For me, that’s what I am excited about when I find a character. It’s more, “What is it that she’s not talking about?”
Maria Sten Loves That Fans All Over the World Have Connected with Her ‘Reacher’ Character

“It’s just great to see the fans so involved in this show and these characters.”

It feels like there are many things Neagley is up to when we don’t see what she’s doing. Was there a moment when you realized how much people were really loving her and how much of a fan favorite she had become?
STEN: It was so great that everybody — it doesn’t matter who they are or whether they are men or women, young or old, or whether you’re in Africa or India or South America or America — loved the character and had something good to say, at least the people that I’ve heard from. It’s so satisfying to be able to deliver something that has apparently seemed to connect so much with a global audience. I didn’t really have any expectations. It was really after Season 2 when I started getting, “Can I get a picture, Neagley?,” or people would stop me and say, “Did I ever tell you you’re smart, Neagley?,” these little taglines, which I thought was really cute. It’s just great to see the fans so involved in this show and these characters.
I never know what’s going to happen the next year. I’m like, “Oh, they’re doing another [season]. Am I in it? Who knows? We’ll see.” So, that’s been an interesting journey. It’s felt strange in a lot of ways because I’m there, but I’m not necessarily part of the main storyline every year. I’ve had to change my relationship to it. I feel that my relationship to it is now the same as Neagley’s, which is that I just show up to be of service. I show up because there’s a mission that has to get done. That’s how I’ve approached it. I’m super excited to go do this Neagley show to really dive deeper into all the things that are beneath the surface of this character. I’m very, very, excited to show the rest of the world what we’re working on.
When and how did you find out about the possibility of a spin-off?
STEN: There are always rumors. There’s always, “In success, maybe this could happen.” And you’re like, “Uh huh, sure,” because it’s Hollywood, right? It’s not over until it’s over and it’s printed and has aired. So, I always just took it like, “Oh, that’d be interesting, but it doesn’t mean anything to me if it’s not a concrete thing that is happening. I’m cautiously optimistic in that way. And so, it wasn’t really until after Season 2, going into Season 3, that the conversation started becoming more real.

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And he also gets an epic fight in to cap off the season.

Because it does feel like there is so much to learn about her, do you have a list of your own questions that you now want answers to with Neagley having her own show? Are there things that you feel like you can focus on now that couldn’t be explored in a show that was called Reacher?
STEN: Certainly. Neagley has a lot going on in her life. She has a history, and she has a life lived. She has some quite severe personal issues of her own that she’s grappling with. We just get to know her better and see her grapple with these issues. For anybody who likes the character, I think it’ll be nice to get to know her a little bit better. And we have rounded up such a great cast for this season of Neagley. I’m just thrilled to get going and sink my teeth in.
Seeing how good you are with the action stuff, I’m not at all surprised that you have a background as a dancer. When you were actively studying and pursuing dance, did you ever think about how that could translate to other areas? Did you ever think dance could help you become an action star?
STEN: Not necessarily, but I’ve always been a very physical person. I did gymnastics as a kid and rhythmic gymnastics, I ran track, I did kickboxing, and I’ve been riding horses since I was three years old. I’ve always been like a very physical person, so for me, it’s always been very high on my list of things that I wanted to do, doing action. And it’s great because I get to do my own stunts. The stunt team works with me to accommodate for the fact that I’m going to do my own stunts. They shape it so that I’m able to do so.
’Reacher’s Maria Sten Puts in the Hard Work To Do All Her Own Stunts

“I don’t have a middle path.”

Image via Prime

Have you found aspects of the action and the stunt work that have been surprisingly challenging, or have you found that you’ve taken to it all pretty easily?
STEN: It’s certainly hard work. We should make it look easy, but these ten-second or one-minute fights require lots of prep. They require hours of rehearsal to get this little one thing right because we don’t want anyone to get hurt. You really have to put in the effort. When you think of the people who know how to do this stuff in real life, it’s years and years and years of time committed to this craft. I have a lot of respect for it. I also don’t have a middle path. I’m all or nothing, at all times. When we’re in rehearsal, they’re like, “Okay, just mark it and go slow.” And I’m like, “I can’t.” They know that by now. They’re like, “Yeah, she doesn’t know how to do that. Just keep up.” But it’s wonderful. It’s great. We have a good gang. Picking up the choreography is much easier when you are trained [in dance]. There’s definitely an upside to knowing how to be in your body and understand body movement. And also, when they give you an adjustment, you can make the adjustment quite quickly. That has been really, really helpful, and they’re very good at managing that to help me look good.
The fight scene with the two men in Neagley’s office in episode six is a lot. How much of that was on the pages of the script when you read it, and how much is figuring that out once you’re in the space?
STEN: I was super excited to shoot that because there are some great gags there. I love when they have that faith in me to be able to do it. Most of it was on the page. [Nick] Santora knows what he wants and it’s very thought-out. Of course, on the day, once you get to the location, you have to work with what you have in the location, but it was only minor tweaks that really made it what you see. Most of that was on the page already.

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Running down the hall, jumping over the broken glass, sliding over the top of the desk, and getting out the gun is badass. How many times did you have to shoot that?
STEN: We only had two panes of glass, so we did it twice. That’s what we got. It was a major reset. We were shattering the entire office and then had to do it again. We did one very late before wrap, and then we did one first thing the next day. Two takes were all we got. Of course, I was like, “Can we do it again? I think I can do better.” And they were like, “No, we got it.”
Equally iconic was the moment of humor when he says, “Can you call me an ambulance?,” and Neagley responds with, “Okay, you’re an ambulance.” Was that also scripted?
STEN: I wish I was that clever. I like to think I’m funny, but I’m not quick-witted. I can’t be snappy. I’m not super strong in improv. So, yes, that was scripted. I have a silly sense of humor, so I chuckled when I first read that. Neagley isn’t phased very easily. She’s basically seen it all, at this point.

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Because Reacher keeps moving locations, he seems to leave a string of women behind. Will we see more personal sides of Neagley in her spin-off?
STEN: Certainly. I’m so impressed with what they were able to do with the scripts for this Neagley show. It’s so its own thing, but of course, it’s true to the Reacher spirit. It’s Neagley. It’s about her. It certainly is about what’s going on in her personal life, as well as her professional life. Most of the time, for people like this, the two tend to overlap. So, I’m just excited to dive into that and explore the emotional life of the character, as well as the badass private investigator work that she will be doing.
What is your favorite moment with Reacher and Neagley this season?
STEN: In Season 3, they have this moment, right after I’ve met everyone and I’ve questioned him about, “This is our team? Are you sure you know what you’re doing?” Yeah, he knows what he’s doing and we’re gearing up for war. It’s always the scenes between them, just before things are about to ramp up that, to me, feel the most gratifying because the stakes are high. They’re declaring their love for each other in those moments, and those are always super exciting.
Neagley Is Always Going To Have Reacher’s Back

“That also speaks to the dynamic that they have.”

Image via Prime

I love that moment at the end when she points out that it’s maybe not so much about him protecting the little guy but just hating the big guy. That really puts things in perspective, as far as the way he operates.
STEN: Yeah, certainly. And it’s funny that he says, “Oh, you just figured this out?,” because that’s what he’s been doing the entire time. That also speaks to the dynamic that they have. It says, “Yes, this is certainly what you’re doing, and I’m always going to be there to have your back.”

Reacher

Release Date

February 3, 2022

Network

Prime Video

Showrunner

Nick Santora

Directors

Omar Madha, Carol Banker, Julian Holmes, Lin Oeding, M.J. Bassett, Norberto Barba, Stephen Surjik, Thomas Vincent

Writers

Cait Duffy

Reacher is available to stream on Prime Video. Check out the trailer: