‘Stranger Things’: Why Sadie Sink Had to ‘Beg’ to Play Max Mayfield

It’s hard to imagine Stranger Things without Sadie Sink’s perfect delivery of Max Mayfield‘s sass and sarcasm. However, five years ago, that role nearly went to someone else. In a recent interview, Sink reflected on her audition process for Stranger Things, revealing that she had to “beg” the casting directors to give her a chance. Here’s why they almost turned Sink down, and how she changed their minds.

‘Stranger Things’ Season 4 put a spotlight on Max Mayfield and Sadie Sink

Sink joined the Stranger Things cast in season 2 back in 2017. However, it wasn’t until season 4 that her character played a hugely important role in the main story — even the Duffer Brothers called it a “Max-heavy season.”

After losing her brother, Billy (Dacre Montgomery) in season 3, Max spent the first episodes of season 4 trying to cope with grief and guilt. Her trauma made her a target to Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower), the Upside Down monster who killed a handful of Hawkins teens.

Max prepared herself to become Vecna’s next victim. However, in the now-famous episode titled “Dear Billy,” Max realized that she had a loving support system and didn’t need to face her grief alone. She ran from Vecna’s clutches in an epic scene set to Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill.”

This season was huge for Sadie Sink herself, too. After her performance in “Dear Billy,” many Stranger Things fans called for Sink to receive an Emmy nomination. Unfortunately, the Television Academy didn’t recognize Sink this year, but there’s still a chance for a nod when Stranger Things 4 Volume 2 becomes eligible next year.

Sadie Sink was almost rejected from her role as Max in ‘Stranger Things’

After Max Mayfield’s action-packed season in Stranger Things, Sadie Sink looked back at where it all began. In an interview with Fashion Magazine, the 20-year-old actor recalled her fight for the role when she was 14. Apparently, the casting directors thought Sink was “too old” for the part. However, Sink wouldn’t accept rejection because she felt Max was the “right” role for her.

“I just begged and pleaded with them to give me more material so I could show them something fresh,” Sink explained.

Thanks to her persistence, the casting directors called Sink for a chemistry read alongside Gaten Matarazzo (who plays Dustin Henderson) and Caleb McLaughlin (Lucas Sinclair). It only took a day for her to hear back about landing the role of Max.

Once she joined the cast, Sink fell right into the close-knit group of the Stranger Things kids. Matarazzo revealed in a Stranger Things casting video (seen above) that he, McLaughlin, and Sink had already known each other from working on Broadway musicals at the same time — McLaughlin in The Lion King, Sink in Annie, and Matarazzo in Les Miserables. Sink proved herself right: She was a perfect fit.

Sadie Sink’s career took off after she joined ‘Stranger Things’

After her breakout role in Stranger Things, Sink started to pile on other projects. Most notably, she starred as Ziggy Berman in 2021’s Fear Street trilogy on Netflix. Sink also had a lead role in Taylor Swift’s short film, All Too Well. The actor has two other projects in the works on top of Stranger Things Season 5: The Whale and Dear Zoe.

“Honestly, my life has felt a bit like a coming-of-age movie,” she said in her interview.

Stranger Things Season 4 is now streaming on Netflix.