At long last, Neagley answers one of the biggest questions surrounding Reacher‘s own Frances Neagley (Maria Sten).
Warning! Spoilers ahead for Neagley Season 1, now streaming on Prime Video.
Over the course of the eight-episode season of the new Reacher spinoff, which sees the Chicago P.I. join forces with Detective Hudson “Rats” Riley (Greyston Holt), Renee Birdwhistle (Adeline Rudolph), and Keno (Jasper Jones) to infiltrate the cult that lives at Echo Canyon, led by Lawrence Cole (Damon Herriman), and its involvement in the death of her childhood friend Tommy Crane (Jhaleil Swaby), Neagley also discovers the origins of her haphephobia, or fear of touch.
A tremendous turning point for Neagley takes place in the season finale, as she shakes hands with Reacher (Alan Ritchson), a scene that Sten deemed her “favorite moment of the entire season.”
“I think it really is so pivotal and shows so much courage,” Sten told DECIDER during a recent visit to our studio. “She’s been through the wringer and so much has happened to her. She’s lost her father at this point and has to really create a new life for herself. And I do think it’s also a nice way of taking advantage of the whole relationship that we’ve set up in three seasons of Reacher.”
The moment might be heartfelt, but ultimately stays true to their characters’ dynamic, which Sten appreciated.
“What I love most about that scene is that even though she’s gone on this whole journey and had so much growth and we now wonder what’s next for Neagley, she is still the same old Neagley who’s gonna sass Reacher,” she teased.
While the new series may not fully reveal the reason for Neagley’s love of cereal, it does expand the universe of Reacher, creating new characters like those portrayed by Holt, Rudolph, and Jones. But, as Holt told us, he and his two co-stars didn’t have a blueprint in Lee Child’s Reacher book series to rely on for inspiration.
“Ultimately, we wanted to honor the tone and the Reacher world, but our characters don’t exist in the books,” Holt explained. “So I think we had a little bit of creative license to make them completely our own, but with still honoring the world. It was a beautiful thing to see Maria, who’s lived in this character for so long, and to work opposite from her, and for her to take us all under her wing, and introduce us to this world.”
For more on the importance of Ritchson “pass[ing] the baton” to Sten, “method-eating” cereal on set, and that wild naked acolyte scene, check out our chat with the Reacher cast below.
DECIDER: I’d first like to start off with Maria. Neagley’s old pal Reacher appears in the first episode. How important was it to have Alan Ritchson pass the torch to you in this way?
MARIA STEN: I think that was really important for everyone, to pass the baton along, like you say, pass the torch and set up this other world. And to know, of course, that Neagley is still connected to Reacher and the first show that we made before we branch out on our own here.
And with Neagley, you’re #1 on the call sheet! Did Alan give you any advice about bearing that responsibility in this series?
MS: I think we certainly commiserated about the pressure of carrying something like this that is so beloved by millions of people from the books already. We want to pay tribute and do it justice. And I think, for me, I definitely felt that there was a responsibility of not only staying true to the show that we had created, but also the books, of course, most importantly, that Lee Child had written. So I feel a tremendous amount of responsibility and pressure to get it right and not disappoint the fans, of course.
And for the three of you, how do you think Maria did as number one on the call sheet leading the series?
JASPER JONES: Incredible.
ADELINE RUDOLPH: Amazing.
GREYSTON HOLT: She killed it! On and off-camera, she was our fearless leader. I mean, she really handled everything with so much grace and she had the weight of the world on her shoulders. And I think, given that, you did such a beautiful job.
MS: Thank you.
JJ: Definitely proud to call you the #1.
MS: Thank you! They’re supposed to say that. They’re on camera [laughs].
Greyston, Detective Riley, a.k.a. Rats has just as much baggage as Neagley herself. What was the biggest challenge you faced in bringing him to the screen?
GH: I think playing a cop, playing a detective—and a detective from Chicago at that, I grew up on a small island in Canada. It’s the polar opposite of that world. There are aspects of Hudson’s character that I can connect with, but in terms of portraying a cop—a detective— that was new to me. So you want to make that believable, you wanna honor that and so that was. Yeah, it was a learning experience, and I think I got there in the end.
What research went into the role?
GH: A good amount. You want to be as prepared as you can when you start filming, and so we were lucky we had a great armorer in charge of our weapons. So I did a lot of weapons handling, learning how to clear a room, learning to load and reload. But you know, ultimately, you have to live in that character on set. You can train and do all your research but until the cameras are rolling, I think that’s when you really discover a lot more about your character.
Adeline, from CAOS (The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina), to Resident Evil, to Mortal Kombat II, you’re well known for your work in the sci-fi and fantasy realm. What was it like working on a series that’s a little more grounded in reality, like Neagley?
AR: Yeah, it was amazing. It was a lot of fun to play a human [laughs]. Do some normal things, be in an office, pick up a phone. No, but jokes aside, it was a lot of fun. I feel like Renee has this spunkiness to her. She’s a little bit harsh, she can be a bit spicy. But it was fun to kind of play with that dynamic between Renee and Neagley, as well off the get-go, and also see the evolution of their relationship, as well as the relationships that she builds with Keno and Hudson. So it was a lot of fun.
Jasper, Keno does many bold things over the course of this series, but perhaps the boldest is breaking into Neagley’s apartment and eating her cereal. How fun was it to film that scene, and did you make a special request for Apple Jacks?
JJ: I didn’t make a special request, I don’t think, for the actual cereal. But there was almond milk instead of real milk, which kind of sucks. But also, I was eating like 15 bowls of cereal, so I needed to survive through that.
AR: You’re also lactose intolerant, no?
JJ: Yeah, I’m lactose intolerant. So like, that’s just a battle I fight everyday.
AR: Sorry, not to put that on blast!
JJ: No, it’s okay! It just takes a darker turn when we’re talking about [lactose] [laughs]. No, but that was one of the best days of my life because I am chilling in my boxers, and every take, they have to bring in a fresh new bowl of cereal. And I have to be munching on it, housing that cereal. So, you know, let me at it and I will do that. Maria, you know!
MS: I do know!
JJ: She can attest.
MS: Yeah, there’s no acting-eating. It’s all method-eating. It goes all the way through the show.
You come in hungry. Maria, one of the questions fans hoped Neagley would answer is why this beloved character loves cereal so much. Why do you think Neagley loves cereal so much? It’s not fully answered, but is there an idea?
MS: I think Neagley, she has a little bit of a stunted development. She didn’t have a lot of a childhood. She’s been taking care of her dad all her life. And her mother passed away, and she was very young. So I think for me, looking at Neagley, is now that she is adult and secure and can call the shots of her life and she has financial security and isn’t poor anymore, she sort of allows herself the pleasures of childhood that she didn’t get to have back then. So the t-shirts, the Looney Tunes watch, the cereal. I think it’s in a way cute, but also it’s a nostalgia thing for her, of just indulging in these childish things that she doesn’t get to have.
And are Cocoa Puffs still your favorite cereal?
MS: So I have to make clarifications. So Cocoa Puffs is the American version, but I grew up in Denmark and we have Coco Pops, which is a different thing. And I just realized, oh, you actually don’t have them in America. These little Coco shells that if I had cereal growing up, that was 100% what I was eating. But, in this country, Cocoa Puffs, yes.
In Episode 5, it’s revealed that Jerry O’Connell is the celebrity spokesperson for Tranqlara. Do any of you know how that cameo came to be?
MS: It was written in, and I think, to me, it’s just inspired casting. I love that episode. It’s so creative, and it was written that there was going to be a celebrity person playing themselves, and I love what they did with that.
JJ: Works beautifully.
GH: Stand by Me is my favorite movie of all time, too. I didn’t get to meet Jerry on set, but I was just stoked he was being a part of it.
So was it a surprise to you guys when he came on?
AR: We knew. And he was very friendly. He was saying hi to everyone.
MS: We had read the scripts, of course. But I didn’t get to meet him, either, because of course everything that he’s doing is separate from what I’m doing [laughs].
Jasper, one of the most shocking moments of this series is when Keno watches a naked acolyte hammer his penis while high off Tranqlara. What direction were you given for that scene? How did you approach this?
GH: Let’s go, Jasper [laughs].
JJ: Yeah. Well, first off, I got to say the actor who played that acolyte that crushed his thing, he crushed it [laughs and fist-bumps Greyston]. And I remember working very, very—sorry.
GH: He didn’t leave the scene hanging.
JJ: [Laughs].
MS: See? Don’t encourage him! I told you!
JJ: It was a blast.
MS: I told you! You’re just starting them up.
GH: You gotta have balls to do something like that.
JJ: No, but I was working with Gary Fleder on that episode and there were a lot of very specific marks surrounding that scene. We were using a Technocrane and all that, and I had to go through these very emotional and specific moments. But yeah, it was really actually quite easy to buy into because the actor who was playing Doyle did such a great job.
Greyston, your character compromises his morals and destroys evidence to get what Neagley needs to shut down Rawlings. How big of a decision was that for him? And do you think he would have done this for anyone else but Neagley?
GH: That’s a good question. I mean, yeah, he had to make a devil’s bargain. And I think ultimately he had—and we deal with that bunch of moral complexity in the show. And that’s one of the issues we deal with: is it OK to do something illegal or bad if it serves the greater good? And as hard as it was for Hudson—who’s a very loyal, devoted cop— to do that, ultimately, he saw that it was for the greater good and that’s why he did it. And I think she had a hand in that, too. Maybe it wouldn’t have happened for anybody else, but yeah.
MS: Neagley tends to get what she wants.
GH: Yeah, there are ways.
And Maria, Neagley takes a big step by shaking Reacher’s hand. What was it like to show her growth and film that scene with Alan?
MS: That is my favorite moment of the entire season. I think it really is so pivotal and shows so much courage. She’s been through the wringer and so much has happened to her. She’s lost her father at this point and has to really create a new life for herself. And I do think it’s also a nice way of taking advantage of the whole relationship that we’ve set up in three seasons of Reacher. We understand now why they’re so close, why she shows up whenever he calls, because he does the same for her. And of course, this was going to be the person that she was going to shake hands with for the first time. And, what I love most about that scene is that even though she’s gone on this whole journey and had so much growth and we now wonder what’s next for Neagley, she is still the same old Neagley who’s gonna sass Reacher.
Adeline and Jasper, if there’s a second season of Neagley, what would you like to see for your characters going forward? And do you think finding Patrick, Renee’s brother, is going to be as simple as Keno thinks it will be?
JJ and AR: No.
ALL: [Laugh]
JJ: We’re on the same page there… I would like to see sort of where Keno, if he falls in love, what loving looks like for him. I would also like to [see] if there’s anything to be explored in the background of his family life. But also, I think just spending more time with everybody on-camera would be really lovely because I think the times that we were all together working in person, it was kind of magical. That’s kind of what I really search for whenever I act is that piece of magic. [It’s the] same when I watch a movie or a TV show. It’s hard to explain, but I want that magic. So yeah, exploring what that would be like with all y’all would be really, really fun.
AR: Yeah, I think similarly kind of diving more obviously into her background and finding out this—you know I think the first season really sets up this idea of this transactional relationship between Renee and Neagley where she wants to have her expertise on this particular issue that she’s having. And so to see how that kind of plays out. But now with this added element of a potential blossoming friendship, I’m also very curious to see you know what happens. I’m curious because I don’t know anything. I asked not to know anything until we know.
JJ: The showrunners definitely set up a really— you know, there’s a lot of different avenues it could go. So I think anything—they could pick any route and it would be pretty fascinating.
Greyston, why do you think Hudson is so willing to wait until Neagley is ready for a potential romance? What do you think their partnership might look like in the future?
GH: Another great question. I think he waits because he respects her so much. Hudson really is a good guy at his heart. He has his moments with his family where you see some of his rage come out, but he’s a very loyal person, and I think ultimately he just has the utmost respect for Neely and he’s willing to wait. And we’ll see where that goes, but anytime two people grow closer together, it’s going to create inherently more drama in whatever we face in a potential Season 2. So yeah, I think it just adds to the drama.
Maria, Neagley ends the season in a therapist’s office instead of in Hudson’s warm embrace. Why do you think this was the right choice for the character, and are you glad she prioritized her mental health over romance?
MS: Yes to the last question that you said. I think, of course—I mean, if we’re talking about it from a psychological, mental health perspective, you have to be in a healthy place, I think to enter into a healthy relationship. But I also feel that this journey of the show is really about Neagley’s relationship with her father and that is the most important relationship of the season and the change that Neagley goes through. And because of the complex relationship with her father, we now see her end up where she’s at. And I think she’s so brave to decide to get help. The whole season is about trauma and about how different people deal with trauma. And there are many different ways: some shove it away, some seek the help of a cult or drugs, and some choose to go to therapy. And I think that there’s so much bravery in that and it tells me that there is hope for where she wants to go. But of course, healing is also not linear. For Season 2, I don’t think that, “Oh, we see her in the therapist’s office and now she’s healed!” I think that there’s certainly more to explore and we will see her regress, and who knows where she’s gonna end up? But I do think because her relationship with her father is the most important thing, and the loss of her father leaving her very adrift, like an anchor that’s been pulled out of her life, it sets up potential for Hudson and Neagley for Season 2, but it wasn’t the focus of that first season. And I think that’s exciting to me.
Being that this is an expansion of the Reacher universe, which has such a dedicated fan base, are there certain questions that you think will be answered for fans from the original series or things that you hope that they take away from this new series?
MS: I think we have little Easter eggs. If you’ve watched three seasons of Reacher, there are definitely things that you’ll pick up on in Neagley. And of course, the biggest question is answering why Neagley has haphephobia, why she’s afraid of touching people. And I think we will just continue to pluck away at making sure that we tell the audience that we are still a part of this world that we’ve created, the foundation, the Reacher show, but of course still branching out on our own. I don’t know if anyone would like to [add]…
GH: I mean that’s—
JJ: That was beautiful.
AR: That was a great answer!
ALL: [Applaud]
GH: You got it all!
JJ: Number one!
I love it! With Reacher being based off of Lee Child’s book series and Neagley being an expansion off of that, did it feel like there was a little bit more freedom given that it wasn’t as direct of the source material you were taking it from? Or was it more challenging to kind of expand on that and develop your characters?
GH: Ultimately, we wanted to honor the tone and the Reacher world, but [gestures toward Jasper and Adeline] our characters don’t exist in the books. So I think we had a little bit of creative license to make them completely our own, but with still honoring the world. It was a beautiful thing to see Maria, who’s lived in this character for so long, and to work opposite from her, and for her to take us all under her wing, and introduce us to this world. So yeah, thanks.
JJ: It was fascinating to watch how you balanced everything, Maria. And also because, I don’t know, I felt like the tone at the top of our show is very similar to Reacher. And it was a good handoff, because there is definitely a switch into its own, sort of around Episode 5. But yeah, Maria was really great at balancing the spontaneity with the flagship.
AR: I was gonna say, and in terms of creating our own characters, I think because Maria cares so much about Neagley and made sure that the tone was right and that we were doing Neagley justice, it just felt like our characters could fall into place after that. She had crafted a good baseline and skeleton for us to kind of add meat to.
MS: They’re so being paid to say that [laughs].
AR: She’s gonna pay us later, right?
ALL: [Laugh]
If Neagley were to get a second season, are you hoping that any other Reacher characters cross over into the Neagley world?
MS: I mean, I think that that would be super fun. I think, you know, we have set up a full world. We have set up the 100th. We have set up many seasons where Neagley interacts with these people. So I’d say never, never say never. You know, we can’t really speculate on it, but I would welcome that for sure.
