What You Never Knew About Sadie Sink
Chances are you recognize her from "Stranger Things." If not, you've definitely seen her in Taylor Swift's "All Too Well" short film. Or maybe you saw her in Netflix's "Fear Street" trilogy. No matter where you first came across her, it's probably already pretty clear to you that Sadie Sink is set to become a Hollywood it-girl in the next few years.
Sink, born in 2002 in Texas, first got her start in the entertainment industry at the age of 11 when she starred as Annie on Broadway. Since then, she has appeared in "The Americans," "American Odessey," "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt," "Fear Street," and, of course, "Stranger Things," the show that shot her into the public eye — and paid her a reported $150,000 an episode. Although Sink is still young and relatively new to the industry, she's already made a huge impact. In fact, her co-star Winona Ryder even went as far as to call her "the next Meryl Streep" (via E! Online). Curious to learn a little more about this up-and-coming young star? Here are some things you never knew about Sadie Sink.
Sadie Sink avoids social media
These days, just about every Gen-Zer seems to be constantly glued to their phone. After all, with Twitter, Instagram and TikTok all vying for our attention, social media has become a key part of our lives. However, unlike many of her peers, Sadie Sink isn't actually all that keen on social media. While the star does have an Instagram account with over 17 million followers and a Twitter account, she likes to stay off of the platforms as much as possible.
"I don't have the Instagram app or any social media apps on my phone," Sink explained to Glamour UK in 2022. "I'll download it sometimes to check in, but I don't really like to associate with any of the negative things on social media." Apparently, the star used to be a lot more tuned in, but she eventually realized that trolls and online negativity weren't good for her. "I like to focus on what's real," she said. "My friends and the people in my circle, that's what I pay attention to rather than likes on pictures or what other people are posting or wearing and what they think I should be wearing, be it clothes or make-up."
However, as Sink told Glamour UK in a separate interview, she does have a secret TikTok account!
The actress got her start on Broadway
While most of us probably know Sadie Sink from her work on "Stranger Things," a few theatre fans may know her from the stage. In fact, the actress actually got her start as an 11-year-old in "Annie" on Broadway. When she was cast as a swing in the show, she "felt like I made it," as she told Flaunt. "It was my first Broadway show. It was like a dream come true. At the time it was all I really wanted."
Sink went on to explain that she and her brother had developed an obsession with musical theater as children — even though no one in their family was in the industry.
Sink went on to star in "Annie" and also appeared alongside Helen Mirren on Broadway in the 2015 production of "The Audience." Since then, she's focused more on film and TV — but she's still keen to get back to her roots one day. "Now the idea of getting on a stage and performing live in front of so many people is very, very scary to me, but I would love to one day go back," she said.
She is a proud feminist
For Sadie Sink, feminism has been an important part of her identity since 2017, when the actor attended the Time's Up-focused Golden Globes. As she told Elle, "I realized that as a woman you have an obligation to be a feminist."
In 2021, the star was even spotted wearing a t-shirt that read, "We should all be feminists." And in 2019, she spoke at WE Day UN about feminism. "Playing a strong woman on 'Stranger Things' has been such an incredible experience for me," she said. "It is so important for us to see portrayals of healthy female friendships in the media just like Max and Eleven." She went on to explain how many portrayals of women in the media encourage competition and rivalry. "Really we should all just be supporting each other," she said.
For Sink, the future of feminism is promising. While Sink remembers the days of the Disney Channel where "every girl was pretty much the same," these days, as she explained to Marie Claire Australia, there are more and more portrayals of unique, three-dimensional women on TV — and we can't wait to see her take on more of those roles in the future!
Sadie Sink is not a fan of horror movies
Sadie Sink has appeared in quite a few horror movies, including the "Fear Street" trilogy and "Eli." But, despite her experience with horror as an actor, Sink is definitely not a fan of the genre as a movie-goer. Instead, she prefers psychological thrillers like "Get Out" and "Midsommar." "They stick with you for weeks," Sink told The Face. "I'm really drawn to those types of films. They do such a great job of developing characters and making them feel true, rather than someone just getting stabbed or screaming all the time."
In fact, Sink actually finds true horror films a little too scary — even the ones she has appeared in herself. "I scared myself when I was watching [the Halloween episode of 'Stranger Things']," the actor once confessed in an interview. It's pretty clear that even though Sink is a natural fit for horror movies as an actor, they are far from her favorite films to watch.
Millie Bobby Brown is her best friend IRL — and they're each other's biggest fans
In "Stranger Things," Sadie Sink plays Max, the BFF of Eleven, played by Millie Bobby Brown. It turns out, the pair are also BFFs in real life, too — they even referred to themselves as "Ketchup and Mustard" in one Instagram post. As Sink and Brown explained to Nerdist, their friendship reflects their onscreen relationship in many ways. "It's interesting to see two girls' friendship, especially since we're friends in life." Sink said. Brown added, "We're two powerful girls in real life. And we're also two powerful girls in the show."
Sink is also a huge supporter of her friend's endeavors outside of the show. "I'm so proud of everything Millie has achieved with her beauty line," Sink told Glamour UK. "Millie has always been very involved in makeup and skincare ... It's funny looking back at the early steps of her developing her products and where she is now, I'm very proud of everything she's been able to accomplish."
Sadie Sink didn't exactly enjoy kissing Caleb McLaughlin
In one scene in "Stranger Things," Sadie Sink found herself having to kiss her co-star Caleb McLaughlin. As she later explained in an interview, the experience wasn't exactly an enjoyable one. "The kiss was not written in the script," she said. Apparently, when Sink got to set to film the Snow Ball scene, show creator Matt Duffer joked, "Sadie, are you ready for the kiss?" So, Sink was left feeling stressed all day.
"I was like, 'Wait, is it going to happen, is it not?'" she recalled. While the kiss wasn't filmed that day, she did end up having to kiss him the next day.
Duffer went on to explain that the kiss had initially been a joke, but when Sink panicked, he decided he had to make her do it. What made the moment even more uncomfortable was that it was both Sink and McLaughlin's first kiss. "Our first kiss was in front of, like, 200 [background actors] and their parents and the crew and my mom," Sink laughed.
She is a vegan
While making the 2017 film "The Glass Castle," Sadie Sink bonded with her onscreen dad, played by Woody Harrelson. She spent time with him and his family, who were all vegan. "I was kind of like watching them and seeing the way they ate and the way they lived their lives," she told Vegan Life Mag. Sink was inspired and, after doing some research, decided to become vegan, too.
"I realised what goes on in the egg industry, and the dairy industry, so then I was like, 'That's it! Going vegan!' and I just kind of went cold turkey basically," Sink told Elle UK. Apparently, Sink even found a great cafe in Atlanta where she could eat vegan chicken and waffles while filming "Stranger Things."
Sink has also become passionate about making sure she buys vegan clothing. "I had to look at lists of what materials contain animal-based materials inside of the clothing items, but yeah I guess if you just watch out for that, and again, there's a lot of vegan options out there, like more than you think," she said.
Sadie Sink is a big fan of '90s music
One thing Sadie Sink seems to love is old-school music. In fact, she even has a playlist of all of her favorite songs — and a lot of them are pretty retro. "Sadie's Playlist is the soundtrack of my life," Sink exclaimed to Elle UK. Some of her favorite songs include: "Wonderwall" by Oasis, "Under The Bridge" by Red Hot Chili Peppers, TLC's "Waterfalls," and "Upside Down" by Jack Johnson. As Sink summed up, "I love the 90s."
And, of course, Sink is also a big fan of Taylor Swift. Shortly after Netflix released the episode of "Stranger Things" in which her character is saved by her favorite song, "Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God)" by Kate Bush, Sink told Tudum that her own favorite song is Swift's "August." "That song honestly can revive me from anything," she said. She also revealed that Swift's song "The 1" was her most listened song on her Spotify Wrapped.
She's been close with Taylor Swift after working with her on All Too Well: The Short Film
Sadie Sink isn't just a fan of Taylor Swift's music — she's also a close friend of the singer. In 2022, Sink was cast in the short film Swift directed to go along with the 10-minute version of the song "All Too Well."
"Taylor is someone I've always wanted to work with, but never thought I would because I didn't think our paths would ever cross," Sink gushed to Glamour UK. Ever since working together, the pair have been besties. "She's such an incredible human being, so smart and so grounded," Sink went on. "To have her as a friend, as a director, as a mentor and to be able to bring such an iconic song to life was just an honour."
Well, we are definitely pretty jealous that Sink gets to call Swift a friend — and vice versa!
Sadie Sink takes a minimalist approach to her makeup — but likes to experiment
Sadie Sink is pretty much the definition of "fresh faced." As she told Allure, both as Max on "Stranger Things" and in her day-to-day life, the actor tends to take a very minimalist approach to beauty. "But I'm also not afraid to experiment with it and have fun, especially for red carpets or photo shoots," she added.
Her go-to look normally consists of sunscreen, a quick eyebrow brush, a flick of mascara and some lip tint. Even when she does wear foundation, she keeps it light. "I been playing around with tinted face oils or skin tints, something that's really light ... to let a little bit of color show through and especially let my freckles show through," she explained. "That's really important for me rather than going for a full-coverage makeup look." Instead of piling on thick makeup, she tries to focus on skincare.
She's also not afraid of bending the beauty rules. "I think growing up, one of the things I heard was that red hair doesn't look good with pink, but pink is one of my favorite colors to wear," she said.
Here's how Sadie Sink reacted to landing her role in Stranger Things
For Sadie Sink, landing a leading role in "Stranger Things" was a life-changing moment. It comes as no surprise to learn that the actress was absolutely thrilled when she found out she'd be playing Max.
Sink first got the audition shortly after bingeing the first season of the show. "So it was a really exciting project when I got the audition and then I got four call backs and then after the call backs, they wanted me to do a screen test and the next day I found out I got the part," Sink told Interview Magazine.
Sink was at school when the news came through. Her mom made her come home to take the call from the director. "I didn't really know how to process it," she said. "I just stood there stunned. I think there's a video of me or picture of me somewhere and I'm just on the phone and my face was so shocked and I couldn't stop smiling."
Here's what Sadie Sink did during lockdown
Wondering what Sadie Sink got up during the COVID-19 lockdowns? Well, it turns out it was pretty similar to what many of us did. With a lot of free time on her hands, Sink took up a few new hobbies. "I started journaling everyday during quarantine and I've continued that now that I'm back at work," Sink told Fashion Magazine. Sink also explained that she used to love planning, but during lockdown, she learned to go with the flow a little more. "COVID taught me to take things day by day, and taught me that nothing is certain, so it was a good lesson to learn," she said.
Sink also spent her time daydreaming about getting away and going traveling. "I've always wanted to go to Amsterdam. Or maybe Greece," she said. "I've been watching a lot of 'Mamma Mia.'" Talk about a relatable quarantine!
She learned a lot about confidence while playing Max in Stranger Things
In "Stranger Things," Sadie Sink plays Max, one of the children facing supernatural threats in the small town of Hawkins, Indiana. As Sink told Cosmopolitan Middle East, the role taught her a lot about self-acceptance. "Playing Max and being a character that doesn't really care about what she's wearing and what she looks like, it's helped me be more confident in not necessarily feeling like I need to have my hair done and a perfect outfit all the time," the actress said. "She's definitely taught me to be more confident in certain areas of my life which is a good lesson."
In another interview, Sink went into a little more detail. Max hasn't just taught her to accept her looks — she has also taught her to feel confident in other ways. "For me, playing Max, who is such an outspoken and bold character has really helped build my own confidence up," she told Glamour UK. "Throughout middle school and high school, I don't think there was ever a moment where I wasn't doubting myself or feeling insecure and just trying to find myself. You really have to get past those teenage years before you get there."
Sadie Sink is adjusting to life in the spotlight well
Sadie Sink was still a teenager when she landed her role on "Stranger Things," but she managed to stay grounded, even as her fame grew. Luckily, she was ready for life in the public eye as she got to watch what her co-stars went through after Season 1 of the show. "Just by watching them and how much they traveled and they went to Comic-Con and whenever I would go somewhere with them, they would get recognized, so that was a sneak peak of what I thought I'd experience when the show came out," she explained to Interview Magazine. "But it's not as crazy as I thought it was going to be, it's been fun and a good experience so far."
Even though Sink has handled her new-found fame well, she does get recognized a lot — and it doesn't seem to bother her. "I'm pretty chill about it and if you want to come say hi, of course come say hi, I'm happy to meet anybody and take pictures or whatever," she said. Based on how fast her career is growing, we have to say — it's a good thing she is already so used to being recognized, because we bet it'll only happen more often as her star continues to rise.