Fans of Reacher already know Frances Neagley as the one character who can keep up with Jack Reacher—and now, she has a series of her own. In Neagley, Prime Video’s spinoff of its hit action-crime franchise, Maria Sten plays the title role as a private investigator and former Army Master Sergeant working cases in her own high-stakes world, with Alan Ritchson guest-starring as Reacher. The series premiered September 16, the same day as Reacher’s fourth-season finale, moving Sten from scene-stealing supporting player to leading lady.
Sten didn’t take a straight path to the role. She was born in Copenhagen and is of Danish, Swedish and Congolese heritage. She speaks several languages, worked as a professional dancer and model, and was crowned Miss Universe Denmark in 2008. Here, she talks about how her approach to beauty has changed since her pageant days, the recovery rituals that get her through fight scenes, and the products she won’t travel without.
An action role like Neagley takes serious physical training. What does your skin- and hair-care routine look like on set, with stunts, sweat and shoot days?
“My skin-care routine is pretty much the same no matter where I am. In the morning, I start with a mild cleanser, followed by a toner, sometimes a serum and then a face cream so my skin is ready for makeup. My skin runs very dry, so on long days on set, especially in the winter, I add a face oil to the prep. I also use a face mist throughout the day to reawaken my skin when it starts to feel dull, dry and tired. If I’m going to be outside in the sun, I add a mineral SPF.
At night, I use Pai’s Light Work Rosehip Cleansing Oil ($54) to lift the makeup off before I use a makeup wipe. It makes removing makeup gentler on my sensitive skin. Then I repeat my morning routine.”
You went from modeling and Miss Denmark to headlining a major action franchise. How has your relationship with beauty changed since your pageant days, and what did you have to unlearn?
“I didn’t know anything about beauty when I did Miss Universe or modeled! I only really started learning about it in the last seven or eight years. Early in my on-camera career, it was just about learning how to put on makeup and eyelashes, which, judging by my early photos, had quite a learning curve.
Then somewhere in my mid-20s, I felt a huge shift. The media world has a culture of facades and presentation, where everyone is trying to be an idea of something, and it felt so inauthentic to me. Without really thinking about it, I stopped wearing makeup day to day, stopped wearing extensions and embraced my natural face and my natural curls instead. Looking back, I was coming into who I am as a woman.
Since then, I’ve gotten more into beauty, mainly because I’m a huge proponent of clean, organic beauty and of natural beauty in general. I stay away from injectables, so I’ve had to find organic ways to keep my skin looking naturally healthy. The biggest change is realizing that beauty is less about aesthetics and much more about how someone carries themselves when they’re comfortable in their own skin. As cliché as that sounds.”
Your heritage is Danish, Swedish and Congolese. Has that mix shaped your approach to beauty rituals, either through products, techniques or things passed down in your family?
“I grew up in Denmark, which traditionally has a ‘less is more’ mentality, and the mindset there is really about organic, sustainable, healthy living. That has changed some in recent years because of American influences and social media, but growing up, beauty wasn’t on my radar at all. I was an outdoorsy kid who played about 4,000 sports and hung out with my friends. That’s probably also how I was raised. Embracing your natural beauty is definitely something I grew up with. The most ‘beauty’ thing that happened to me as a kid was my mother buying me a face cream. I think that’s kept me grounded.”
Is there a self-care or recovery ritual you rely on after a physically demanding day of fight scenes?
“Acupuncture is absolutely essential for me while I’m filming, both for muscle recovery and to balance out the lack of sleep and the high stress. I’m also really into infrared yoga, which I’ve found incredibly helpful for anxiety, muscle recovery and inflammation. There’s a place in Toronto called Jaybird that I love going to when I’m filming in Canada, especially in the winter.”
Frances Neagley is defined by toughness rather than glamour. Did playing her change how you think about beauty on screen, or affect your look off camera?
“Neagley is a very low-maintenance woman, which I definitely relate to. But because she’s so tough, playing her has actually made me lean much more into my softer, more feminine side in my own life. I think both of those things are a key part of who I am, and I never want to be reduced to one idea of a particular kind of woman. We’re all more than just one thing.”
What products do you never travel without, whether you’re on a press tour or moving between sets?
“My Aesop Parsley Seed Anti-Oxidant Facial Toner ($45), my M-61 Hydraboost Cream ($88), my Maya Chia The Super Blend ($100), my Furtuna Skin Porte Per La Vitalità Face & Eye Serum ($105) and my Ilia Limitless Lash Mascara ($29).
My latest obsession is Biologique Recherche’s Crème Masque Vernix ($225). My amazing aesthetician, Natalya at La Muse Skin Studio in Brooklyn, recommended I use it as a mask on airplanes instead of sheet masks. It was a game-changer on a 10-stop press tour.”