Ash Santos from ‘Marshals’ Talks Fame, Motherhood, and Her Favorite Cleanser After Filming
Emerging as one of Hollywood’s most captivating new talents, Ash Santos is experiencing a pivotal moment in her career. The Dominican and Puerto Rican actress portrays Andrea Santos in *Marshals*, Taylor Sheridan’s highly anticipated expansion of the *Yellowstone* universe, which debuted to an impressive 9.52 million viewers—CBS’s most significant launch in seven years.
Santos described the moment she received the call about landing the role as profoundly emotional: “I just immediately started crying,” she recalled. Embracing her character meant adopting a more streamlined approach, reflecting the gritty, tomboy nature of her role as a marshal. As her career gains momentum across platforms like *Netflix*, Santos reflects on entering Sheridan’s creative domain, the transformative process of becoming her character, and the moment everything clicked into place.
Reflecting on her journey, she shared, “It was just that quintessential moment of like, ‘Oh my God, it’s happening!’” Santos had sensed optimism during her audition, when casting director John Papsidera informed her that her prospects looked good. However, she remained apprehensive until she received the official offer. “I was driving, and my manager called me. It was a pause, and then he just said: ‘Congratulations.’ I just immediately started crying. It’s been a huge, tremendous blessing in my life.” She added, “I had no idea! You hope for the best, but I don’t think I could have hoped for that. The numbers are amazing. We feel very lucky, truly.”
Santos described her character’s development process as liberating, focusing on a minimalist aesthetic to represent the unrefined nature of her role. “We need her as plain as possible. She’s a marshal. She’s not too fussed over her appearance. She’s very much a tomboy, which I have fun with. Character-wise, she is very different from me. She has rougher edges; I tend to be more of a people-pleaser!”
Audience reactions to her character have sparked significant discussions, with responses ranging from admiration to skepticism. “The response to her has either been great or a lot of, ‘Oh my gosh, who is she? Who does she think she is?’ I find that really fun. The conversations around her and her beauty were very interesting because, as time goes on, you’ll see her unfolding in a really beautiful way,” Santos remarked.
In discussing her personal routines, Santos noted her appreciation for eco-friendly brands, saying, “I recently started using Mad Hippie. I love their stuff. They’ve got this great jelly cleanser with a cleansing oil that I use together. During filming, there were days we were outside in the woods—there was a lot of dirt, and I couldn’t wait to wash it all off!” She credited her makeup artist for introducing her to these products, calling them a game-changer that left her feeling refreshed.
Reflecting on her beginnings in the industry, Santos recalled her early days on *American Horror Story*: “It was my first time actually spending real time in LA. I had a daughter who had just turned two and a son who was about four months old when I booked that job. I had to leave my kids to work, which was incredibly challenging.” Despite the difficulties, she described the opportunity as transformative. “Being on the Fox lot, getting to drive and work there every day, opposite Kathy Bates and Sarah Paulson, I felt like I was living in a dream. It was beautiful—it felt like my dreams were coming true, but it was also difficult being away from my babies.”
