Exclusive: Aisling Franciosi Talks Cowboy Camp, Epsom Salt Baths, and Her Sudocrem Obsession

Not one to gravitate toward “easy-going” women, Aisling Franciosi is stepping into bold new territory with Netflix’s Western The Abandons, channeling the intensity and emotional depth that defined her standout performances in The Nightingale and The Fall. Created by Kurt Sutter (Sons of Anarchy), the series unfolds in the brutal frontier of 1850s Oregon, where two families collide in a battle for land, power and survival. Franciosi plays Trisha Van Ness, a fierce and enigmatic member of an aristocratic mining dynasty whose ambition and tightly held secrets help ignite the show’s central conflict. Though it marks her first foray into the Western genre, Franciosi transforms seamlessly, bringing her signature mix of grit, complexity and quiet vulnerability to a character who is as polished as she is dangerous.

Ahead, our conversation with the star about stepping into this world—and the beauty behind it.

“I’m excited. I’m also really curious to see what people make of the show. I think Westerns have been having somewhat of a resurgence over the past few years…maybe that’s because it’s a world that we all know so well—the textures and the aesthetic and the look and the stories. It’s very cool to see it framed in a Western, but at the heart of it are two powerful female characters, two matriarchs who are battling it out, played by Lena Headey and Gillian Anderson. So, it’s definitely an interesting twist on the usual genre, which usually centers on very male characters.”

“It was a huge part of the draw! For me, as an actor, stepping into a world that’s so clear is always fun because when there’s a certain kind of aesthetic, I find it so much easier to immerse myself completely in the character.

The combination of horses and corsets was something I was a bit apprehensive about, but thankfully, we didn’t use corsets. We just kept that shape with the costume, which meant getting up and down off those horses was much easier. I loved it; I had so much fun. I really enjoyed horse riding in the Rockies. Who gets to do that as part of their job? I felt very lucky.

Given the genre—and the fact that it’s the Wild West—we had some flexibility within the world of our show, so I didn’t have to worry too much about the constraints of playing a woman at that time because the rules are bent in our show. I got to just focus on Trisha’s motivations and desires and the drama she was finding herself in. It was a lot of fun.”

“Well, the Epsom salts were key to the point of being essential. We did two weeks of cowboy camp, so the baths were definitely helpful for easing aches and pains. I’m a big fan of Barbara Sturm‘s face creams. Then there’s a hero product I always use… I don’t know if it’s available in the States. I call it Sudocream, but I think it’s called Sudocrem.

It’s basically this really thick white cream that seems to be used for everything—spots, eczema, sunburn, rashes. I don’t think I know a single female friend who doesn’t have a little pot of that that travels everywhere with her. Cleansing was a huge part of the day because we’d be covered in a fine layer of dust. In terms of keeping my skin healthy, I definitely made sure to cleanse very well and keep my skin in good shape.”

“Yes! I’m so lucky that when I’m filming, I have someone who’s looking after it for me to make sure it looks its best, so thankfully I didn’t have to worry too much about that. But I love the Davines hair butter mask because I was coloring my hair. I’m not a natural redhead, and I was having to color it quite frequently to make sure we didn’t see the roots. I always like to use a bit of extra product to keep it hydrated. And that entire line smells amazing.”

“I’m looking forward to seeing everyone. Actually, in LA, we’re going to do a launch at the very beginning of December. I haven’t seen them since I wrapped, bar maybe one person. That’ll be nice. It’s always nice to reconnect and just celebrate. Either way, we’ve no control over what people will make of the series, but it’s always nice to meet up and realize, ‘Oh, we did this.’ It’s fun to unleash it into the world now, no matter what happens. It’s just nice to get together.”

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