Sadie Sink on learning through drama
When Sadie Sink joined the cast of Stranger Things in its second season, the then 14-year-old was already a fan of Netflix’s megahit show. But with the series turning many of the teen stars into household names overnight, attempting to carve out her own lane wasn’t easy.
“I kind of knew what I was stepping in to, but I didn’t really know until I was in it,” said Sink. “Being the new kid, I think it really gave me a perspective on everything. So, I kind of liked coming in a little bit later, even though I definitely had like the biggest impostor syndrome, like, ever.”
Sink is far from an impostor. Her Stranger Things
character, Max, was more integral to the storyline last season, and her performance when she freed herself from the evil trance of the monster Vecna while listening to Kate Bush’s Running Up That Hill
became a huge cultural moment for both the song, which roared back onto the charts, and Sink.
The 20-year-old has joined her Stranger Things
co-stars as a household name, leading to her selection as one of the Associated Press’ Breakthrough Entertainers of 2022.
The smiley Texan has built an impressive resume first rooted in theatre, and now blossoming with The Whale, Darren Aronofsky’s buzzy new film touted as Brendan Fraser’s comeback role as an obese English teacher whose health issues prompt him to reconnect with his estranged daughter, played by Sink.
“This has definitely been a big year just in terms of career milestones,” she said. “It’s just nice to have these opportunities and to have kind of found acting at a young age and to be able to stick with it.”
Easily recognised by her flowy red locks, Sink said The Whale was not only a career opportunity, but an education. “The project as a whole, I think, was a big moment for me, just in terms of becoming fully comfortable in front of a camera. I think it takes a really long time to do that. And especially for the more vulnerable scenes, you’re on set, the lights and everything … the stakes feel really high,” she said. “Through working on this, I think I really got comfortable with the help of Brendan and Darren. And that was a really educational experience for me, and I think I carried a lot with me after that ...”
ORIGIN STORY
Sink was born in Brenham, Texas. The fourth of five siblings, Broadway shows on YouTube inspired seven-year-old Sadie and her older brother Mitchell to begin acting in local plays. By nine, she was regularly performing at Houston’s Theatre Under the Stars before landing the title role Annie the following year for the 2012 Broadway revival.
But after a few TV guest appearances, working with Helen Mirren on the Broadway play The Audience morphed her professional acting dream from possibility to reality. “It just like kind of really shifted my relationship with acting being around someone like Helen Mirren and just seeing how they approach their craft. That’s like a master class,” said the Dear Zoe lead.
Sink, who’s also become a high fashion front-row regular at top shows like Chanel, is preparing herself for the fifth and final season of Stranger Things, set to begin production next year.