‘It Was Pretty Bizarre’: Sadie Sink Talks Playing Max in ‘Stranger Things’ Season 5

As Stranger Things moves into its final season, Sadie Sink opened up about her character Max and the challenges of filming Season 5 Vol. 1. Max has already faced life-threatening situations, including nearly dying at the hands of Vecna in Season 4, only to be saved by Eleven.

Sink described how playing Max this season was unlike anything she had done before.

“For sure, because in past seasons there’s always been something to anchor me to the character, whether it’s the actors I’m with or the environment, or even just the clothes, the bands, the skateboard. But this season, there was nothing. It was clothes that didn’t feel like Max, crazy hair that was grown out and tangled, and dirt all over my face. She’s in a rough, feral state. It was pretty bizarre,” Sink said.

She added that working with a younger actor also challenged her approach: “I know how Max responds to Lucas or Mike or Eleven or Will, but to a 12-year-old girl? I didn’t know what that was like.”

Sink spoke about her scenes with Nell, the character Holly, and what it revealed about Max.

“It revealed that Max is a really caring person. She’s a really good friend, and I don’t think she sees Holly as someone who is younger than her. She sees her as an ally and extends that respect. There’s a mutual respect. She knows they have to be on the same team, and she needs something from her. It was cool to see her level with her,” she said.

Sink praised Nell’s performance, saying, “She’s ridiculously smart, not just in her acting choices in life and who she is. She’s got an incredible brain and I learned a lot from her. I found so much joy and freedom and discovery with Nell. It felt like we were on our own little adventure, our own little side quest.”

Being apart from the main cast was also difficult for Sink, but it gave her a chance to experience Max in new ways. “Totally. It was difficult, but also cool to watch these first four episodes, which is all I’ve seen, and to see what they’ve been working on because I’m more of a visual person,” she explained.

She shared a funny moment about the props in the show: “For example, Nell and I laugh because when I read in the script that she wears a little action figure around her neck, I thought it was a full-sized G.I. Joe. Then when I saw it on the day and saw its size, I was like, ‘OH. Okay. That makes a lot more sense.’”

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