Sadie Sink is a 20-year-old acting sensation sure to rise to stardom after her Emmy-worthy performance as Maxine (Max) Mayfield in Netflix’s science-fiction series, Stranger Things. Proving her incomparable prowess in the film and television industry, Sink’s breakthrough role in the Duffer Brothers’ Netflix Original landed her the lead as Ziggy Berman in the horror film trilogy Fear Street, for which she earned an MTV Movie & TV Award nomination for Most Frightened Performance in Fear Street: Part Two 1978. After wrapping up on Stranger Things 4, Sink began working on an upcoming psychological drama, The Whale, followed closely by yet another drama feature-film, Dear Zoe.
Sink is a formidable force and not one to be taken lightly; she started out from humble beginnings with strictly stage-only performances in musical productions of Irving Berlin’s White Christmas and in the titular role of Annie. For Collider‘s exclusive interview broadcast, “Ladies Night,” Sadie Sink discussed the defining moments for her Stranger Things character, who started out as the fun-loving “zoomer” of the “Party” and becomes a reclusive hermit after the death of her adoptive brother, Billy. From then on, she suffers from severe PTSD, which causes her to become a vulnerable target of Vecna. When asked about Max’s defining moments and qualities, Sink pinpointed the moment where Max stands up to an abusive Billy after he threatens Lucas and fights with Steve Harrington.
“I think the first moment that comes to mind is the one where she has the bat with Billy in Season 2. And I remember reading it and I was like, ‘Oh, okay, Max. Alright. I get you.’ Before she had this relationship with Billy that was really tumultuous and not healthy, and you just kind of saw that back and forth between them and him just ganging up on her. And I remember reading it and being like, ‘Okay, when is she gonna snap? When is she gonna take control?’ And then, in I think, I guess it was the final episode of Season 2, when she finally does.
That felt like a defining moment for her just in the sense that she’s not someone that’s gonna be stepped on. She reached her breaking point and she’s gonna act on it and finally speak her mind, so that was very empowering to read and to play out and a nice moment for Max.”
After enduring years of emotional abuse from Billy, Sink’s Max reaches her breaking point. While Billy brawls with Steve, Max manages to sedate him, warning him to leave her and her friends alone. From that moment onwards, Billy seems docile around Max until the Mind Flayer gets ahold of him and he loses his inhibitions and free will. After taking a stand against Billy, Max discovers an inner strength that bails her out of some tight spots later on, specifically during her encounter with Vecna. Even though she wasn’t around since the beginning, Max has started to grow on the Stranger Things fans and the series wouldn’t be the same without her. Specifically for that “Running Up That Hill” scene (you know the one), here’s hoping that Sadie Sink snags an Emmy nomination — and maybe even a win!
See how Max’s story continues when Stranger Things returns with Volume Two on July 1.
