Neagley star Maria Sten reveals Alan Ritchson's surprising advice on Reacher

Neagley's Maria Sten has revealed the key advice she was given by Alan Ritchson while filming Reacher. The spin-off series is set to premiere on Wednesday (16 September) following Sten's Frances Neagley working as a private investigator in Chicago.

The Prime Video series will see Neagley uncover a dangerous cult and a deep-running conspiracy when she investigates the suspicious death of an old friend.

Ritchson is set to make a guest appearance as Jack Reacher on the show, with Sten opening up about what the actor told her about fronting a TV show that requires a lot of physical exertion in its high-octane action sequences.

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Speaking exclusively to Digital Spy, she said: "I think in terms of what he said was that it's a lot of work. It's a very intense schedule that we have.

"There was one scene - this is back when we were doing Reacher season two, maybe - we were doing this fight. I am also very stubborn; I want to do everything myself, and he's like, 'No, no, save yourself, because you're going to be doing it 47,000 times, so when the camera's on the back of your head, maybe once in a while you should let the stunt double do it', and that is good advice, I shall say."

She also spoke about working with Ritchson on Neagley, describing his guest appearance in the new show as "surreal".

"Yeah, it was slightly surreal for a second because we've been doing the other thing for so long, but Alan and I have a very comfortable working relationship. We've been doing it for a while now, so it just felt like old times."

She continued: "I really feel that the showrunners and the writers really made the most of what they possibly could, trying to portray the depth of their friendship without even having to do that much.

"What is lovely is that, of course, Reacher and Neagley can stand on their own, but you can still get the best of both worlds in Neagley."

Neagley is released on Prime Video on 16 September

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Freelance Reporter, Digital Spy Rebecca is a freelance journalist who specializes in TV and film. After beginning her career as a digital entertainment journalist for the Express & Star and Shropshire Star, she embarked on a freelance career in 2021 contributing to the likes of Metro UK, The Sun, WhatCulture, Screen Rant, FilmHounds Magazine and more. Her particular field of interest is horror cinema and she has written for genre publications such as Ghouls Magazine and Moving Pictures Film Club. LinkedIn

Movies Editor, Digital Spy  Ian has more than 10 years of movies journalism experience as a writer and editor.  Starting out as an intern at trade bible Screen International, he was promoted to report and analyse UK box-office results, as well as carving his own niche with horror movies, attending genre festivals around the world.   After moving to Digital Spy, initially as a TV writer, he was nominated for New Digital Talent of the Year at the PPA Digital Awards. He became Movies Editor in 2019, in which role he has interviewed 100s of stars, including Chris Hemsworth, Florence Pugh, Keanu Reeves, Idris Elba and Olivia Colman, become a human encyclopedia for Marvel and appeared as an expert guest on BBC News and on-stage at MCM Comic-Con. Where he can, he continues to push his horror agenda – whether his editor likes it or not.