Sadie Sink

Sadie Elizabeth Sink (born April 16, 2002) is an American actress. She began her acting career in theater, playing the title role in the musical '' Annie'' (2012–14) and young Elizabeth II in the historical play '' The Audience'' (2015) on Broadway. In 2016, she made her film debut in the biographical sports drama ''Chuck''.

Sink had her breakthrough portraying Max Mayfield in the Netflix science fiction series ''Stranger Things'' (2017–present) and received critical acclaim for her performance in its fourth season. In 2021, she appeared in the horror film trilogy '' Fear Street'' and played the lead role in Taylor Swift's short film '' All Too Well''. She then starred in Darren Aronofsky's psychological drama '' The Whale'' (2022), for which she received a Critics' Choice Movie Award nomination. Sink returned to Broadway in 2025, starring in the play '' John Proctor Is the Villain'' and earning a Tony Award nomination for Best Actress in a Play, becoming the second youngest woman to be nominated for the award.

Early life

Sadie Elizabeth Sink was born in Brenham, Texas, on April 16, 2002. Her mother is a math teacher, and her father is a football coach. She has three older brothers and a younger sister. While her family was sports-oriented, she and her brother Mitchell were interested in performing arts, especially musical theater. They would often recreate scenes from '' High School Musical'' (2006) and watch Broadway plays and Tony Award performances. Sink said they were "so annoying and loud and constantly demanding attention" while growing up. She has English, German and Irish ancestry.

When Sink was seven, her mother put her and Mitchell in acting classes in Houston. Sink began acting in community theater with a production of '' The Best Christmas Pageant Ever'' in Brenham at age seven. When she was eight years old, she had a leading role in a local production of ''The Secret Garden'', which involved "more learning lines and real practice". Her experience encouraged her to pursue a professional acting career. In 2012, Sink's family supported her and Mitchell's careers by moving to New Jersey. Sink began homeschooling while in second grade and returned to regular school after performing in '' The Audience'' (2015).

Career

2011–2016: Broadway and early onscreen roles

Sink was regularly performing in plays at Theater Under the Stars by the age of nine; she appeared in musical productions of '' White Christmas'' (2011) and portrayed the title role in '' Annie'' (2012). At age 10, Sink was cast in the 2012 Broadway revival of ''Annie''.
She appeared in the show for 18 months, performing eight times a week. From October 2012 to July 2013, she was a standby for the characters of Annie, Tessie, Duffy, July, and Pepper. Following the departure of Lilla Crawford at the end of July, Sink and Taylor Richardson began alternating between the roles of Annie and Duffy. On their casting as Annie, director James Lapine said: "As we were preparing to cast the next Annie, I realized we had two wonderful candidates already in the orphanage. Both Taylor and Sadie are such unique young actresses, that I decided to let them share the role". Sink continued appearing in the production until its final performance in January 2014. She said she gained discipline from performing in ''Annie'' and subsequently decided to pursue her acting career permanently, having loved "every second" of the show.

During her ''Annie'' Broadway run, Sink made her television debut in 2013 in a guest role on the spy drama series ''The Americans''. The part prompted her to seek a career in film acting. She also made an appearance in a 2014 episode of the police procedural show '' Blue Bloods''. In 2015, Sink starred as Suzanne Ballard in the NBC action thriller series '' American Odyssey'', which was canceled after one season. That year, Sink appeared in the Broadway production of '' The Audience'' as young Queen Elizabeth II, who is portrayed by Helen Mirren as an adult. Sink's relationship with acting "really shifted" after observing Mirren's approach towards it. She said working with "some of the greatest minds in the industry" showed her the true meaning of acting. Reviews in ''USA Today'' and ''The New York Times'' deemed Sink's performance as Elizabeth "touching" and "very good". Sink made her film debut in the biographical sports drama ''Chuck'' (2016).

2016–2022: Breakthrough with ''Stranger Things''

In September 2016, Sink auditioned to play Maxine "Max" Mayfield also known as Madmax in the second season of Netflix's science fiction drama series ''Stranger Things''. The casting directors deemed the 14-year-old Sink too old for the role, but she "begged and pleaded" for more material to perform for them. She attended four callbacks, including a chemistry read with Gaten Matarazzo and Caleb McLaughlin. During the audition process, Sink lied about having rollerblading experience. According to director and writer Matt Duffer, casting Sink was "a bit of a no-brainer" due to her "innocent, child chemistry" with Matarazzo and McLaughlin. After she booked the role, Sink had to learn how to skateboard, an activity she disliked due to falling on her first day of practice. She attended three-hour lessons daily for two months. The role became Sink's breakthrough. Critics described her as "spirited", with ''IGN'' commenting that she acts "beyond her years and makes a welcomed addition to the cast". Sink, along with her ''Stranger Things'' cast members, was nominated for the SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series.

In 2018, Sink walked the runway at Paris Fashion Week, making her modeling debut at age 15. She later walked the runway for brands such as Miu Miu and Kate Spade New York. In film, Sink appeared in '' The Glass Castle'' (2017) and '' Eli'' (2019). She also reprised her role in ''Stranger Things'' third season, for which she received critical praise. The BBC considered her performance "wonderfully loose and natural", while '' Variety'' praised her and co-star Millie Bobby Brown's energy. In 2021, she starred in '' Fear Street Part Two: 1978'', the second installment of '' The Fear Street Trilogy''. Sink portrays Ziggy Berman, an aggressive and tomboyish teenager who has a difficult home life. She said she was drawn to the character's potential for depth. Director Leigh Janiak suggested that Sink watch slasher films, such as '' Friday the 13th'' (1980) and '' Scream'' (1996), to prepare for the role. She did most of her own stunts in the film. Sink's acting received critical praise; the ''Los Angeles Times'' commended her portrayal of Ziggy's emotions, attractions, and loyalties, and '' RogerEbert.com'' said that her "intense performance gets a great deal of volume" from a one-dimensional character. In the trilogy's third film, '' Fear Street Part Three: 1666'' (2021), she played Ziggy and Constance.

Sink had a leading role opposite Dylan O'Brien in '' All Too Well: The Short Film'' (2021), which was written and directed by American musician Taylor Swift. The singer had been impressed by Sink's onscreen presence and emotivity in ''Stranger Things''. Swift said that had Sink declined her offer, she would not have proceeded with making the film. Sink saw the role as an opportunity to "step out of being a kid on screen" and play a "more rounded and mature" character. The short received critical acclaim. '' Collider'' stated that Sink and O'Brien gave "vividly emotional performances" and told "an incredibly moving tale of love, power, gaslighting, and heartache".

Sink appeared in the fourth season of ''Stranger Things'', released in two parts on May 27 and July 1, 2022. She journaled and did internal reflection to prepare for the character's journey. Critics gave the season positive reviews, with Sink receiving acclaim. ''Rolling Stone'' described her performance as "poignant and emotionally raw", stating that she brings "a degree of emotional heft" that balances out the season's more comedic moments. For her performance, Sink won the Hollywood Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Streaming Series, Drama, and received a Saturn Award nomination for Performance by a Younger Actor.

2022–present: ''The Whale'' and return to Broadway

Sink was cast in the psychological drama '' The Whale'' (2022) in February 2021, following a Zoom meeting with director Darren Aronofsky and lead actor Brendan Fraser. She starred as Ellie, the estranged daughter of Fraser's character. Commenting on her role, Sink explained that "I'd just have these moments of, 'Is she actually evil?' And then there would be some days where I was like, 'No, she's good. She's just in so much pain. Sink said filming could be "so draining" at times due to the darker subject matter requiring her to "fully shed every layer and be really vulnerable". She stated that the role enhanced her confidence, which she attributed to "stepping out of the child actor role and into ... your adulthood, where you stop seeing yourself as this little puppet that stands on their mark and takes direction". ''The Whale'' premiered on September 4, 2022, at the 79th Venice International Film Festival. ''Variety'' Owen Gleiberman argued that Sink "acts with a fire and directness that recalls the young Lindsay Lohan", while the ''Los Angeles Times'' Justin Chang found her emotional intensity "impressive" but felt her role was poorly written. In a more negative review, Sandra Hall, for ''The Sydney Morning Herald'', wrote that her acting "is dialled up to unrelenting obnoxiousness". At the 28th Critics' Choice Awards, Sink received a nomination for Best Young Actor/Actress. She also led the drama film '' Dear Zoe'' (2022).

In July 2023, Sink was announced as a global ambassador for Armani Beauty. Sink starred in the thriller film '' A Sacrifice'' (2024), an adaptation of Nicholas Hogg's 2015 novel ''Tokyo''. '' IndieWire'' praised her and co-star Eric Bana's performances, stating they "make for a pleasant viewing experience even when the ilm'sintellectualism comes up short". Sink also starred as the titular character in Searchlight Pictures's rock opera film '' O'Dessa''. The film was met with mixed to negative reviews, but Sink's performance was met with critical praise and seen as a standout in the film. Sink later returned to Broadway, starring in the comedy play '' John Proctor is the Villain''. Opening in April 2025, the play and her performance was met with critical acclaim. Christian Lewis of ''Variety'' wrote that Sink "gives a spellbinding performance as a girl who is deeply pained but shielded with thick armor: She's smart but underestimated, and ready to harness her rage against the patriarchy." The role earned her a nomination for the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play. In March 2025, Sink was cast in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film '' Spider-Man: Brand New Day'' (2026) in an undisclosed role. The same month, she fronted a recycled nylon campaign by Prada alongside Benedict Cumberbatch.

Public image

In 2022, Sink appeared on the annual ''Forbes'' 30 Under 30 list. That same year, she was included on the ''Time'' 100 Next; her profile was penned by her ''Stranger Things'' co-star Winona Ryder, who described Sink as "this creative acrobat and she's on this balance beam that very few have the courage to walk ... As an actor, she knows that we are ultimately in service to the characters and story".

Media publications have described Sink as a fashion icon, with her wavy, red hair cited as her trademark feature. According to '' Vogue'', Sink's wardrobe "effortlessly achieves both a youthful sensibility and sophisticated style". In 2023, she was featured on ''Maxim'' Hot 100.

Personal life

In an interview with '' Variety'', Sink described her experiences of having panic attacks from as young as 11 years old.

Sink has gone on record to state that she prioritizes her privacy and chooses to not publicly discuss details of her private life. In an interview with ''Teen Vogue'', Sink says that the reason for this is because it makes the roles that she plays more believable, stating "I think the more private I am, also, the more believable the roles can be. I don't want anyone to know anything about me in my personal life or know too much about who I am just as Sadie, because I think the louder that gets, the quieter the impact of your characters can be."

Sink identifies as a feminist, which she describes as an obligation for women. She became vegetarian in 2015 after watching the documentary film '' Food, Inc.'' (2008). A year later, she went vegan; her '' Glass Castle'' co-star Woody Harrelson's family inspired her to try it. Sink uses her social media to support local shelters and encourage her fans to become vegetarians or vegans.

Acting credits

Film

Television

Theater

Awards and nominations

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Sink, Sadie
2002 births
21st-century American actresses
American child actresses
American film actresses
American stage actresses
American television actresses
Actresses from Texas
Living people
People from Brenham, Texas