It’s not every day that one of your favourite shows has a spin-off featuring one of your favourite characters. Thankfully, Prime Video has us covered. From the world of Reacher comes Neagley, starring Maria Sten.
Reprising her role from Reacher, Sten is now at the forefront of her own series as Frances Neagley. As always, she brings her A-game as the formidable, often stoic character who does not like to be touched (haphephobia).
Ahead of the series premiere on Prime Video, I had the wonderful opportunity to chat with Sten and Greyston Holt, who portrays Det. Hudson Riley in the series. The two spoke to me about what it was like exploring their characters in-depth, peeling back those layers, and what Neagley and Hudson recognize in each other that helps them build a true partnership.
Watch the full interview with Maria Sten and Greyston Holt below:
For me, Frances Neagley is one of the most intimidating and tough characters in this universe. So, I inquired what it was like for Sten to explore new sides to Neagley, including the character’s vulnerability in her own series.
Sten shared, “Very satisfying. I think a character is inherently more interesting when they are three dimensional, and I think anyone who is as tough as she is has a lot going on underneath. So, I think it’s so lovely to be able to just fill out the character and make her full and human, and for us to be able to experience that with her. And I really enjoy the fact that, especially you know these days when you have a female quote unquote badass, you know she has to be so tough and hard and unfeeling, and I really appreciate that we are able to experience this character as a three dimensional human being who also has emotion and vulnerability, because we all do as people.”
In Neagley, Holt plays Det. Hudson Riley, who has some interesting family connections that are explored in the series. I asked Holt what it was like for him to peel back all the layers of the character as the season progressed.
Holt said, “Yeah. I mean, you know, any great character has incredible inner conflict, and Hudson certainly has that in spades. You know, coming from this family of, you know, low-life career criminals, and deciding to kind of cut ties with that, or try to cut ties with that, and you know become a cop, a detective-you know-he’s family’s family, right? And you know, no matter how hard you try to cut those ties, they’re going to try to pull you back in. And you know, ultimately, my loyalty is to my job and, you know, the rule of law. But that push and pull is always there, and I’m always being pulled in both directions. So I think that makes for any good character, when you’re stuck between a rock and a hard place.”
Watching the bond form between Neagley and Hudson throughout the season is some of the best character work in the show and was a joy to watch. So, I wondered what Neagley and Hudson recognized in each other that helped their partnership flourish.
Sten began, “I think at first, you know, there’s conflict there, there’s tension there between them. But I think it is, at least for Neagley, not it’s someone who once they get past, you know, a certain place of being in opposition to each other or in conflict with each other. That it’s someone who shows up. You know, I think Neagley is big on loyalty, obviously, as as we know her from Reacher, and a person who continuously shows up is, I think, how she inevitably gets her guard down.”
Holt playfully jumped in with, “Is that your love language?”
Sten continued, “I think loyalty is like probably the most important quality for Neagley, and especially in her most vulnerable moment, he is there and shows up for her, which is humbling and vulnerable for her. But also, I think that’s where the nature of the relationship definitely shifts.”
Holt added, “Yeah, and I think, you know, they’re both – neither of them are scared to call each other on their BS. I think they’re both able to see each other for what’s underneath. You know, is certainly your tough exterior, and you know, you’re walled up both emotionally and physically. And so I think, you know, just the fact that they can see each other for who they are underneath all that, you know, that’s going to be, you know, that’ll draw draw us into each other.”
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