Sadie Sink’s star is soaring. And it has been ever since Stranger Things 2 hit Netflix in October of 2017. But since, Sink has made the absolute most of every single opportunity to come her way, proving her boundless range and astronomical promise in this industry.

Not only is she a sheer force in her first lead role in a feature film playing Ziggy in Fear Street 1978, but she also shines in Taylor Swift’s All Too Well: The Short Film, will star in Darren Aronofsky’s next film, The Whale, and, to top it all off, she delivers what I truly believe is an Emmy nomination-worthy performance in Stranger Things 4. Sink is a true standout in front of the camera, so it’s shocking to think that there was a time when Sink envisioned her career being solely on the stage, not on screen.

Max Mayfield getting out of the car and looking off to the side

While we wait for Strange Things 4 Volume 2 to drop on Netflix on July 1st, Sink joined me for an episode of Collider Ladies Night to recap her journey from her earliest inspirations to Stranger Things megastar, and a good deal of the beginning of that journey happened on Broadway. Not only did Sink make her Broadway debut with a revival of Annie, but she also appeared alongside Helen Mirren in The Audience. What did Sink think her path in the industry would look like given all of her early stage success? Here’s what she said:

“Film and TV acting, I hadn’t tried that or I wasn’t really interested in it and it was only the stage and musical theater that I loved. The film and TV part of it came along I think once I turned 13 or something, and that’s kind of when your Broadway career just comes to a temporary halt and they’re like, ‘Okay, we’ll see you when you’re 18!’ So during that time I think I auditioned for a few TV shows or movies here and there, and then that’s when I ventured into that side of acting. But yeah, I always wanted to be on the stage, and I still do, but film and TV, I definitely love it a lot.”

Sadie Sink on the Set of Stranger Things 2
Image via Netflix

There’s more than enough time for Sink to explore every format of art and storytelling, but having her focus on one of Netflix’s biggest series ever is a mighty good use of her time right now! Sink is a powerhouse as Max, commanding the screen and stealing scenes non-stop, but one’s got to imagine it can be mighty intimidating to step onto the set of a very popular show when the cast and crew have an established rhythm in place. Sink admitted that those nerves did kick when she hit set for Season 2, but she was fortunate to have costars like Finn Wolfhard, Caleb McLaughlin, Noah Schnapp, and Gaten Matarazzo to show her the way.

“I didn’t feel intimidated leading up to that first day, but once I stepped on set I was like, ‘Oh, wow. It’s go time. We’re really doing this!’ I think seeing how the boys, like Finn and Caleb and Noah and Gaten, just how they handled themselves on set, and how it was really fun and laid back, it kind of reassured me, ‘Okay, yeah. Take a breath. Just relax into it and it’s all gonna work out! We don’t have to work ourselves up too much.’ So just having their playful, fearless energy was very reassuring for me.”

Sadie Sink and Gaten Matarazzo on the Set of Stranger Things 2
Image via Netflix

As for digging into the role of Max, Sink’s had a lot on her plate since the beginning. Not only was Max in a rather tough situation when she was first introduced in Season 2, but since, she’s experienced an especially significant emotional journey that’s tested her connection with her friends and loved ones, and also her will to fight. Given how much Max has been through, I asked Sink for the moment that put the character into perspective for her the most, the one that served as a guiding light of sorts. Here’s what she went with:

“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.”

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Image via Netflix

RELATED: ‘Stranger Things’ Season 4 Volume 2 Runtime Reveals Longest Episode Ever

Yes, that’s a standout beat for Max, but dare I say, nothing in Stranger Things puts the character to the test quite like the end of Season 4, Episode 4, “Dear Billy.” Not only do the final 20 minutes of that episode rock Max to her core by forcing her to come face to face with her deepest fears and reassess what she wants for her future, but it also involves an especially elaborate Upside Down set piece. It’s a challenging combination to juggle no matter the production schedule, but in this particular case, Sink had to tap into that headspace for weeks due to how the sequence needed to be filmed. She explained:

“It was filmed over the span of like a few weeks and it was scattered too, just because of the multiple storylines that are happening this year. So this one giant continuous scene that has to have these high stakes and energy throughout the entire time is really divided up between multiple days, so I think just kind of keeping that energy and that stamina up and trying to remember, ‘Okay, where am I again? What has just happened? Okay, got it!’ It was a lot to keep up with, but something that I think everyone worked really hard on to just kind of make it all make sense, and in the editing room it came together. But on the day, the running scene at the end, it was not as long as it looked like it was. I think it was just one like 25 yards maybe, and I just did it over and over and over again, and then I think they just clipped it all together or something like that. So it was crazy to watch in the end how it all pieced together.”

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Image via Netflix

As for where that set piece leaves Max, Sink broke down the metaphor of Max’s Vecna encounter and explained how it influences her choices from that point forward:

“It’s really metaphorical if you really just look into it because this is a character who is in so much pain to the point where she’s nearly given up, and Vecna kind of expresses that to her and now she’s literally facing her own demons, like Billy just right there and vocalizing to her all of her innermost thoughts that she’s tried to hide for so long. And so for her to kind of look death right in the eye after Vecna has put her in such a vulnerable position, and for her to still see her friends showing up for her and fighting for her and telling her to fight and choosing to fight and choosing to literally run towards the light at the end of the tunnel, it’s a really beautiful and simultaneously epic moment. So I think after that happens to Max, there’s just this newfound sense of resilience and bravery. She’s still in danger of course, but she chose to fight, which was a really beautiful thing to see play out.”

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Image via Netflx

Eager to hear more from Sink? You’re in luck because there’s loads more from where this came from! You can watch her episode of Collider Ladies Night in the video at the top of this article or you can listen to the uncut version of the conversation in podcast form below: