Production on Stranger Things Season 4 has been a unique process, to say the least. Filming kicked off in January 2020, shut down in March due to the pandemic, didn’t resume until October 2020 and is still underway at this very moment.
What that likely means is we’ll have a good deal longer to wait until we can see the new season. If that comes as a disappointment, fear not! You’re going to have the chance to see some new Netflix work from Sadie Sink very, very soon via the Fear Street trilogy. With her installment, Fear Street 1978, due out on July 9th, we got the chance to chat with Sink about the film and during our conversation, she spoke a bit about the unique challenges she faced while working on Stranger Things 4.
Sink began by recapping the unexpected production schedule:
“So we started filming Season 4, I don’t even know when it was, but it was before the pandemic and then we got like a month of filming done, then we had to stop for I guess seven or eight months, and then we came back to work and things were completely different. So I think the real challenging part was just adjusting to the new rules and the regulations that were in place on set. That was a big adjustment. But yeah, I think we were all just so grateful to be able to work. And we’ve been working for a while now and creating something really amazing.”
While there were some challenges to overcome along the way, Sink ensured us that that effort is all going towards making Stranger Things 4 the series’ biggest season yet:
“The scale of the show just gets bigger and bigger each year so yeah, it’s just been really incredible to see where they’re going with the storyline. It’s really amazing this year. And just how the stakes are just so much higher. Higher than they’ve ever been.”
If you’re a big Stranger Things fan, there’s a multitude of reasons I’d recommend catching Fear Street. Yes, Sink’s involvement is a big one, but in addition to her work playing Ziggy in 1978, the Fear Street trilogy includes a number of other creators from the Stranger Things team both in front of and behind the lens. Sink further explained:
“We filmed in Atlanta so a lot of the crew was the same, and so that was really nice. It was kind of comforting to see these people that I was familiar with. And also Leigh [Janiak], our director, is married to Ross, one of the Duffer brothers, so I had known Leigh since I was like 14 years old, so it was really exciting to get to work with her because it was something that I’ve been wanting to do.”
As for how Sink’s Fear Street experience might have influenced her work moving forward with Stranger Things, she teased:
“One thing that I did take with me from Fear Street is just my experience with stunts now. I think I feel like I’ve got a lot more experience and that’s helped me along the way.”
We’ll have more on Fear Street 1978 and Fear Street 1666 for you soon, but right now it’s time to put the spotlight on the first installment of the series, Fear Street 1994, which is now a personal favorite film of 2021. So be sure to catch that one when it hits Netflix on July 2nd and then don’t miss Sink front and center in Fear Street 1978 when that one arrives on July 9th. After that, the Fear Street trilogy concludes with 1666 due out on July 16th.