What You Don't Know About Sadie Sink
The hit television series "Stranger Things" is known for a lot of things — twisty cool plotlines, retro vibes, and ridiculously good acting, thanks to a fully loaded cast of young talents. Among those catchy cast members is 20-year-old Sadie Sink.
In the series, Sink plays new-to-town, redhaired skater girl Max Mayfield. Sink rolled into Season 2 with a skateboard and a wickedly mean bro, as well as a craving for video games, adventure, and true friendship. Max was quickly accepted into the Hawkins, Indiana teen crew, and Sink was equally welcomed into the hearts of "Stranger Things" fans everywhere.
Sink is effortlessly cool and beyond talented. While she has been in show business for some time now, her star is rising higher than ever, and chances are she is just getting started. Sadie Sink will be lighting up screens for years to come, so it is high time to get acquainted with this "Stranger Things" California girl.
Sadie Sink is extremely close to her family
Sadie Sink's "Stranger Things" character, Max Mayfield, didn't have a warm and snuggly bond with her brother (he turned out to be a literal demon.) However, Sink's relationship with her real-life family is quite the opposite. She is one of five children, having three brothers and a little sister. Her parents, a Texan rugby coach and a math teacher, have instilled the right family values in their daughter, as she balances fame and notoriety with an even-keeled demeanor and level-headed attitude. Even as she became a recognized face and household name to the outside world, at home, she was still just one of the Sink kids with responsibilities to attend to. "Things around me started changing, but I never changed. I'd be flying to LA for the Golden Globes one day and then be right back at home with my mom telling me to take the trash out the next," Sink said of her upbringing in an interview with Glamour UK.
In that talk, Sink explained how much her devoted and supportive kin means to her. "My family and I are very close. My best friend in the world is my brother Mitchell. We've obviously known each other my whole life and we trust each other, and we're open and honest with one another. That's super important to me. It's a very special bond." Unlike other actors in Hollywood who manage family drama, Sink enjoys a drama-free relationship with her family.
She doesn't lean into social media
Most people Sadie Sink's age are spending countless hours on social media outlets, documenting every second of their lives on the 'net. Sink has been there, done that — and left it alone. At 16 years old, the actor revealed in an interview with Buro 247 that she used to be on social media sites like Instagram a lot, but over the last few years, she has become more private and chooses to truly live in a moment as opposed to capturing it simply for views. Sure, she still uploads the occasional picture, but her social media is fairly scant in what it reveals when compared to other celebrities.
Sink also recognized that with a bigger social media following came more speculation and oftentimes negativity, something this grounded young lady wants nothing to do with. In her interview with Glamour UK, Sink explained her view. "It took me a while to realize that social media probably isn't the best place for me, but now I really don't indulge in it much." Perspectives such as this one prove the young star is truly wise beyond her years.
Sadie Sink adores her Stranger Things castmates
Some shows have actors who appear to have chemistry when the cameras are rolling, but once the director yells "Cut!," everyone goes their separate ways. Not every group of actors becomes friends in real life. Acting is, after all, a job. The chemistry between Sadie Sink and her "Stranger Things" castmates isn't just good acting, though. In this case, the gang generally likes one another, and their bonds aren't crafted for viewers only. Of her fellow "Stranger Things" castmates, Sink only has raves. She said to Glamour, "It was kind of amazing because the bond between all of us was pretty instantaneous and I think over time it just gets stronger and stronger."
In an interview with ELLE, Sink explained that her castmates-turned-close friends have helped her adjust to fame. "Luckily, I've got an amazing cast that are going through the exact same thing that I am, so I've got a very strong support system." Sink enjoys and relies on the friendship of her fellow "Stranger Things" actors and looks up to some of the individuals as well, especially actress Maya Hawke. "She's just such a hard worker and I really admire that in her, and she's just such a positive energy, I'm really lucky to have her."
Some of her Stranger Things pals weren't actually strangers
Long before acting on "Stranger Things" together, Sadie Sink knew fellow castmates Caleb Reginald McLaughlin and Gaten Matarazzo, from their good ole Broadway days.
Sink revealed the connection in a 2015 interview with Just Jared. "My brother and I used to play at a park where all the kids on Broadway would go play at between shows, which is where I met Caleb and Gaten (who were both on Broadway at the time) long before 'Stranger Things.'" On "Stranger Things," Matarazzo plays Dustin Henderson, and McLaughlin plays Lucas Sinclair. (Fun fact: Sink and McLaughlin's "Stranger Things" characters strike up more than a simple friendship in Season 3, and rumors flew that they were also romantically linked in real life as well. While the on-screen love affair was real for a hot minute, these two are only friends when the cameras cease to roll.)
Who could have predicted that these three talented Broadway kids who once played at the same park would someday grow into young adults all working on the same mega Netflix series!
Sadie Sink is a total Swifty
To be fair, who isn't a Taylor Swift fan these days? Sadie Sink isn't only a lover of the pop sensation's music, however; she is a legit "Swifty" and very much a part of T-Swift's inner circle. (Lucky girl. Full stop.)
Aside from starring in multiple hit television series and major movies, Sink also snagged one of the leading roles in Taylor Swift's "All Too Well" short film. When asked by Swift to work on the project, Sink revealed on "The Tonight Show" how excited she was. "I didn't know she knew I existed. If she would have asked me to be a tree in something, I would've said yes in a heartbeat." Sink praised Swift's directing duties as well. Working together wasn't the first time Swift and Sink came face to face, though. In her "Tonight Show" appearance, host Jimmy Fallon pulls up a meet-and-greet between the two talented beauties, and Sink has to have a laugh at her younger self, appearing awkward next to a statuesque Swift. Upon seeing the photo, Sink exclaimed, "I look like a drunk child."
Regardless of how Sink perceived the moment of meeting, she must have made an impression on the star because she was the final choice for Swift's iconic "All Too Well" project.
The young actor makes a nice income
Netflix's "Stranger Things" is one of the hottest shows on television. Because of its massive popularity, it is no great surprise that the actors in the cast draw a pretty nice income from the episodes they appear in.
Sadie Sink isn't the highest-earning actor on the series, but she does pretty darn well for the work she contributes to the show. The title of highest-earner goes to seasoned entertainment vet Winona Ryder, per Statista, who pulls $350,000 per "Stranger Things" episode filmed. Sink's gal pal, Millie Bobby Brown, and fellow actor David Harbour also earn $350,000 per filmed episode. Sink makes approximately $150,000 for each creepy episode she films, and her net worth sits at about $1 million, but considering the entertainment and modeling gigs she has landed, one would expect her income to do nothing but climb in the years to come.
The star has talents aside from acting
Sadie Sink is probably best recognized for her roles on hit shows like "Stranger Things" and "Fear Street." While these roles are mega scores in regards to acting, they are not where Sink got her start. She has actually been in the entertainment business for a long time now and started her acting career on Broadway. When her family recognized that they had something special on their hands, they moved their large family from Texas to the Big Apple so that the young girl could take her talents to the next level. During her Broadway days, Sink starred in "Annie" and alongside the esteemed Helen Mirren in "The Audience."
Following her on-stage career, Sink landed parts in shows like "The Americans," "American Odyssey," "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt," and "Chuck." She also worked with Woody Harrelson in 2017's "The Glass Castle." Sink has also been a star in the modeling arena, working with prominent names in the fashion world like Miu Miu, Kate Spade, and Givenchy.
College might not be an option
There are plenty of esteemed actors who have college degrees to fall back on if their work on the silver screen doesn't shake the way they had hoped and dreamed. Some notable actors have even padded their film careers with degrees from prestigious learning institutions.
Sadie Sink may very well go to college someday, but she also might not. As she told Interview in 2017, "I've always had this vision of me going to college and it's something I've always been really excited about. So yeah I want to go to college, definitely if it's possible I want to." But with how things are going, her education plans have been put on a backburner for the time being. In an interview with MTV in 2021, Sink explained, "When I was younger, it was like, 'Oh, of course, I'm going to college. And then you actually get to that point and you're like, 'Wait, I don't know if this is the right idea. I think that would be too much for me right now.' ... So that's what I'm doing right now, I'm playing it by ear." With a long life and bright future ahead of her, whatever she chooses is bound to be amazing.
Sadie Sink finds Stranger Things scary
Two of Sadie Sink's major acting roles have been in "Stranger Things" and "Fear Street." "Stranger Things" is (for all intents and purposes) good, clean, retro sci-fi fun, while "Fear Street" has a campy horror flick vibe. You would think "Fear Street" would be the freakier flick to be a part of, but for Sink, it is actually "Stranger Things" that gives her chills.
"'Fear Street' is a lot more of that classic slasher movie and in your face. 'Stranger Things' is more kind of eerie and scares you more out of the blue. Personally, I feel more scared watching 'Stranger Things' I think," revealed Sink in an Elle interview.
"Fear Street" might not be as frightening to Sink because of the leg work that went into preparing for the role. Sink's "Fear Street" trilogy director Leigh Janiak requested that Sink brush up on her slasher movies before filming, such as "Scream" and "Friday the 13th." After so many hours of horror films, her fear immunity had to be built up pretty high. "There's this energy that's so fun on the horror-movie set," Sink said to MTV. "And even though, sometimes, it's actually pretty tense and scary when it needs to be, for the most part, weirdly it feels a little bit more lighthearted than when you're doing something that's more dramatic."
The white lie that landed her a role on Stranger Things
It has happened before and it will happen again – actors fibbing to get a foot in the door. And Sadie Sink is just one of many talented actors who told a white lie to snag the part of her dreams. As she told Coveteur on landing the role in "Stranger Things:" "They wanted a girl that had skateboard experience, and I didn't have skateboarding experience at all. They asked me, 'Oh, do you have any rollerblading experience?' I was like, 'Uhh sure I do,' which was technically not a lie because I have rollerbladed before. In reality, I probably haven't skated for a year."
Her minimal skills (and her little white lie) worked, and Sink did indeed land the part of Max. She also landed several hours of skateboarding lessons to fine tune her skills. As scary and uncomfortable as that aspect of the acting job was, at least she had some good company at the skate park. In a Vanity Fair article, Sink said her fellow costar and avid boarder Finn Wolfhard would join her for her lessons on occasion.
The actor is proud of her vegan ways
Considering Sadie Sink is a born and bred Texan, you would think charred meat might be worked into her very DNA. While she was an omnivore in her younger years, Sink is now a full-on vegan and very proud of her plant-based lifestyle.
When Sink was 14 years old, she worked on a film with actor, animal advocate, and vegan Woody Harrelson. "I did a movie with Woody Harrelson, he played my dad, and I got really close to him and his family. I spent a lot of time with them. While I was with them I was eating vegan and I was kind of like watching them and seeing the way they ate and the way they lived their lives. I was really inspired, so I decided to try it and I did some research, mainly by watching documentaries, and then I realized that it was the right thing to do," explained Sink in an interview with VeganLife. When it comes to animal rights and veganism, Sink gladly and passionately lends her famous face and name to causes dear to her heart.
Sadie Sink is a reader
When Sadie Sink isn't acting on hit shows, modeling for the hottest designers, spending time with her beloved family and friends, or just generally roaming and earth and being an awesome human being, she can be found behind the pages of a book. The avid reader revealed in an interview with Buro247 that she doesn't gravitate to a specific genre of literature but lists a few of her all-time favorites as "The Great Gatsby," "Of Mice and Men," and "To Kill a Mockingbird." This isn't surprising, considering her admission: "I kind of like classic books, they are more challenging to read, and the stories are lot more interesting than the stories you find now."
Classics certainly seem to be a Sink trend when looking at her go-to tales, but the talented actor is into contemporary reads as well. During New York Fashion Week, Sink disclosed to Women's Wear Daily that she is a major fan of Tina Fey's "Bossypants." "I'm a little late to this, but I read 'Bossypants' by Tina Fey. That was so funny, I read it in probably two days."