Sadie Sink
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Sadie Elizabeth Sink, born April 16, 2002, is an American actress who began her journey in the spotlight on the theatrical stage. Her early career saw her in the title role of the musical "Annie" from 2012 to 2014, and as a young Elizabeth II in the historical play "The Audience" in 2015, both on Broadway. In 2016, she made her cinematic debut in the biographical sports drama "Chuck."
Sink truly found her breakthrough with her portrayal of Max Mayfield in the hit Netflix science fiction series "Stranger Things," a role she continues to embody. Her performance in the fourth season garnered significant critical acclaim. In 2021, she expanded her repertoire with appearances in the "Fear Street" horror trilogy and took on the lead in Taylor Swift's short film "All Too Well." More recently, she starred in Darren Aronofsky's psychological drama "The Whale" in 2022, earning a Critics' Choice Movie Award nomination. Looking ahead, Sink is set to return to Broadway in 2025, starring in "John Proctor Is the Villain," a role for which she's already received a Tony Award nomination for Best Actress in a Play, making her the second youngest woman to achieve this honor.
Born in Brenham, Texas, Sadie Elizabeth Sink entered the world on April 16, 2002. Her mother, a math teacher, and her father, a football coach, raised her alongside three older brothers and a younger sister. While her family was immersed in sports, Sadie and her brother Mitchell shared a passion for the performing arts, particularly musical theater. Their childhood was filled with reenactments of "High School Musical" and a keen interest in Broadway productions and Tony Award performances. Sadie recalls them being "so annoying and loud and constantly demanding attention" as children. Her ancestry traces back to English, German, and Irish roots.
At the tender age of seven, Sadie and Mitchell were enrolled in acting classes in Houston by their mother. Sadie's initial foray into community theater was in Brenham, taking on a role in "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" at the same age. By eight, she landed a leading part in a local production of "The Secret Garden," which demanded significant line memorization and dedicated practice. This experience solidified her desire to pursue a professional acting career. In 2012, her family demonstrated their unwavering support by relocating to New Jersey to foster Sadie and Mitchell's burgeoning careers. Sadie began homeschooling in second grade, returning to traditional schooling after her role in "The Audience" in 2015.
Her professional journey began with consistent performances in plays at Theater Under the Stars by the age of nine. She participated in musical productions of "White Christmas" in 2011 and took on the titular role in "Annie" in 2012. At just ten years old, Sadie was cast in the 2012 Broadway revival of "Annie."
She graced the stage in "Annie" for 18 months, performing eight times a week. From October 2012 to July 2013, she served as a standby for Annie, Tessie, Duffy, July, and Pepper. Following Lilla Crawford's departure, Sadie and Taylor Richardson began alternating between the roles of Annie and Duffy. Director James Lapine noted that "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." Sadie continued with the production until its final performance in January 2014. She credits her time in "Annie" with instilling discipline and a profound love for acting, which led her to commit to her career permanently, having cherished "every second" of the experience.
During her run in "Annie," Sadie made her television debut in 2013 with a guest role on the spy drama series "The Americans," a part that further ignited her ambition for film acting. She also appeared in an episode of the police procedural "Blue Bloods" in 2014. In 2015, Sadie took on the role of Suzanne Ballard in the NBC action thriller series "American Odyssey," which unfortunately concluded after one season. That same year, she starred as young Queen Elizabeth II in the Broadway production of "The Audience," with Helen Mirren portraying the adult monarch. Working alongside Mirren profoundly shifted Sadie's perspective on acting, as she observed the veteran actress's approach, stating that collaborating with "some of the greatest minds in the industry" revealed the true essence of acting. Reviews from USA Today and The New York Times lauded her performance as Elizabeth as "touching" and "very good." Sadie's film debut arrived in 2016 with the biographical sports drama "Chuck."
In September 2016, Sadie auditioned for the role of Maxine "Max" Mayfield, also known as Madmax, in the second season of Netflix's science fiction drama "Stranger Things." Despite the casting directors initially deeming the 14-year-old Sink too old, she "begged and pleaded" for a chance to perform more material. She went through four callbacks, including a chemistry read with Gaten Matarazzo and Caleb McLaughlin. During the audition process, Sink fibbed about her rollerblading experience. According to directors and writers Matt and Ross Duffer, casting Sadie was "a bit of a no-brainer" due to her "innocent, child chemistry" with Matarazzo and McLaughlin. After securing the role, Sink had to learn to skateboard, an activity she initially disliked after falling on her first day of practice. She dedicated two months to three-hour daily lessons. The role of Max Mayfield became Sadie's breakthrough. Critics described her as "spirited," with IGN remarking that she acts "beyond her years and makes a welcomed addition to the cast." Alongside her "Stranger Things" castmates, Sink received a SAG Award nomination for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series.
In 2018, Sadie made her modeling debut at Paris Fashion Week at the age of 15, subsequently walking the runway for brands like Miu Miu and Kate Spade New York. On the film front, she appeared in "The Glass Castle" in 2017 and "Eli" in 2019. She reprised her role in the third season of "Stranger Things," earning critical praise. The BBC hailed her performance as "wonderfully loose and natural," while Variety commended her and co-star Millie Bobby Brown's energetic presence. In 2021, she starred in "Fear Street Part Two: 1978," the second installment of "The Fear Street Trilogy." Sink portrayed Ziggy Berman, an assertive and tomboyish teenager grappling with a difficult home life. She expressed her attraction to the character's potential for depth. Director Leigh Janiak encouraged Sink to watch classic slasher films, such as "Friday the 13th" and "Scream," to prepare for the role, and she performed many of her own stunts. Her acting in "Fear Street" garnered critical acclaim; the Los Angeles Times praised her portrayal of Ziggy's emotions, attractions, and loyalties, and RogerEbert.com noted that her "intense performance gets a great deal of volume" from a character that could have been one-dimensional. In the trilogy's final film, "Fear Street Part Three: 1666" (2021), she played both Ziggy and Constance.
Sink took on a leading role opposite Dylan O'Brien in "All Too Well: The Short Film" (2021), a project written and directed by American musician Taylor Swift. Swift had been captivated by Sink's onscreen presence and emotivity in "Stranger Things," stating that she wouldn't have proceeded with the film if Sink had declined the offer. Sadie viewed the role as an opportunity to "step out of being a kid on screen" and embody a "more rounded and mature" character. The short film received widespread critical acclaim. Collider highlighted that Sink and O'Brien delivered "vividly emotional performances" and told "an incredibly moving tale of love, power, gaslighting, and heartache."
Sadie appeared in the fourth season of "Stranger Things," released in two parts on May 27 and July 1, 2022. She prepared for the character's emotional journey through journaling and introspection. Critics lauded the season, with Sink's performance receiving particular acclaim. Rolling Stone described her portrayal as "poignant and emotionally raw," emphasizing that she brings "a degree of emotional heft" that effectively balances the season's more comedic elements. For her work, Sink earned the Hollywood Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Streaming Series, Drama, and a Saturn Award nomination for Performance by a Younger Actor. Many publications expressed disappointment that she did not receive a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for the season.
Sink was cast in the psychological drama "The Whale" in February 2021, following a Zoom meeting with director Darren Aronofsky and lead actor Brendan Fraser. She played Ellie, Fraser's character's estranged daughter. Reflecting on her role, Sink explained, "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.'" She described filming as "so draining" at times due to the darker subject matter, which required her to "fully shed every layer and be really vulnerable." Sink stated that the role boosted her confidence, attributing this 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. Owen Gleiberman of Variety suggested that Sink "acts with a fire and directness that recalls the young Lindsay Lohan," while Justin Chang of the Los Angeles Times found her emotional intensity "impressive" but felt her role was underdeveloped. In a more critical review, Sandra Hall of The Sydney Morning Herald wrote that her acting "is dialled up to unrelenting obnoxiousness." At the 28th Critics' Choice Awards, Sink was nominated for Best Young Actor/Actress. She also led the drama film "Dear Zoe" in 2022.
In July 2023, Sadie was announced as a global ambassador for Armani Beauty. She 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, noting they "make for a pleasant viewing experience even when the [film's] intellectualism comes up short." Sink also took on the titular role in Searchlight Pictures's rock opera film "O'Dessa." While the film received mixed to negative reviews, Sink's performance was critically acclaimed and recognized as a standout. Sadie later returned to Broadway, starring in the comedy play "John Proctor is the Villain." The play, which opened in April 2025, and her performance were 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." This 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. That same month, she fronted a recycled nylon campaign by Prada alongside Benedict Cumberbatch. In July, Sink was announced as an executive producer on the film adaptation of "John Proctor is the Villain." It remains unknown if Sink will reprise her Tony-nominated role of Shelby Holcomb.
In 2022, Sadie Sink was recognized on Forbes' annual 30 Under 30 list. That same year, she was included in Time 100 Next, with her profile 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 frequently described Sink as a fashion icon, with her signature wavy, red hair often highlighted as a defining feature. According to Vogue, Sink's wardrobe "effortlessly achieves both a youthful sensibility and sophisticated style." In 2023, she was featured on Maxim's Hot 100.
In an interview with Variety, Sink candidly shared her experiences with panic attacks, which began as early as age 11.
Sadie has publicly stated her priority is maintaining her privacy and choosing not to publicly discuss details of her personal life. In an interview with Teen Vogue, Sink explained that this discretion enhances the believability of her roles, 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 considers an obligation for women. She became vegetarian in 2015 after watching the documentary "Food, Inc." (2008). A year later, she adopted a vegan lifestyle, inspired by the family of her "Glass Castle" co-star Woody Harrelson. Sadie utilizes her social media presence to support local shelters and encourage her fans to consider vegetarian or vegan diets.
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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 nomination for Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play; the second youngest woman to achieve such.
== 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" 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's 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. Several publications expressed disappointment at her failure to gain a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for the season.
=== 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's Owen Gleiberman argued that Sink "acts with a fire and directness that recalls the young Lindsay Lohan", while the Los Angeles Times's 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 [film's] intellectualism 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. In July, Sink was announced to be an executive producer on the film adaptation of John Proctor is the Villain. It is currently unknown if Sink will reprise her Tony nominated role of Shelby Holcomb.
== 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's 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 ==
Sadie Sink at IMDb
Sadie Sink at the Internet Broadway Database
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