Maria Sten may be best known for playing ultra-tough Frances Neagley in the action franchise Reacher and its spin-off series Neagley, but long before she was delivering hand-to-hand combat scenes alongside Alan Ritchson, she led a vastly different life in the spotlight.
Unearthed footage reveals the Danish-born star's former career as a high-fashion beauty queen, strutting down the runway as Miss Denmark at the 2008 Miss Universe pageant in Nha Trang, Vietnam.
She represented her home county in a classic bikini and evening gown runway session, and looked as confident on the catwalk as she does in her fight scenes.
From beauty pageants to heavy-hitting action
© InstagramAt the time, the actress competed under her full name, Maria Sten-Knudsen, and she was crowned Miss Denmark Universe in 2008 at just 18 years old.
In a throwback video from the international competition, Maria exuded pageant glamor during the swimsuit presentation, and effortlessly moved across the stage in an orange bikini before working the room in a floor-length evening gown.
Her time on the international pageant circuit served as a launchpad for her move to the United States, where she initially trained as a professional dancer before making the move into screenwriting, directing, and full-time acting.
An 'exciting and surreal' experience
© Getty Images for Prime VideoMaria’s glitzy pageant background couldn't be further from her breakout role as Frances Neagley, a former U.S. Army Master Sergeant and no-nonsense private investigator.
Having originally stolen scenes across four seasons of Reacher, Maria officially stepped into the spotlight with her own solo spin-off.
© Shane Mahood/PrimeShe recently spoke to HELLO! and confessed she's amazed at how her career has taken off.
"It's been exciting and very surreal," she said in our exclusive interview. "The success of Reacher has just been incredible. I certainly didn't expect that when signing up for the job to begin with. You never know how these things are going to be and to see how people really took to it has been so incredible."
She wants to take the stage again
© Getty ImagesWhile her pageant days might be behind her, Maria has another stage in her sights.... The West End.
"I would love that," she told HELLO!. "That's like my dream. I love London and to me, being on stage in the West End has always been at the top of my list because this is the heart of theatre."
