Sadie Sink is prepared for her subsequent chapter. After saying goodbye to her Stranger Things character Max Mayfield when the massively well-liked collection led to early 2026, Sink knew it was time for one thing totally different. We’ve all been there—after one door closes, one other opens (if you happen to’re prepared for the problem)—and Sink mentioned how that feeling motivated her in dialog with Teen Vogue Senior Editor P. Claire Dodson at Teen Vogue Fest 2026.
After Stranger Things wrapped, Sink took a break from TV and went to the stage, showing on Broadway in John Proctor Is the Villain—for which she was nominated for a Tony Award—and within the West End in Romeo & Juliet, reverse Noah Jupe. She then joined the Spiderverse in a much-anticipated, nonetheless carefully guarded function in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. But the theater was her first residence; Sink received her begin in native and regional theater, which led her to a task on Broadway as one other well-known redhead: the one and solely Annie. “My foundation as an actor was rooted in the theater,” Sink mentioned. “Returning to it with John Proctor, the first play I’d done in 10 years, I was excited to rediscover the space as an adult.”
Sink famous that spending time with a personality within the rehearsal room is considered one of her favourite elements of placing on a play. “You’re discovering new things, and it’s amazing to see where the performance started versus where it ends up,” she mentioned. “I became so much more comfortable onstage towards the end of the run [with John Proctor], so when I was talking about doing Romeo & Juliet on the West End, that’s a much more demanding role, but I thought, ‘I think I’m ready for that.’”
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John Proctor Is the Villain is now being made right into a film, and whereas Sink isn’t reprising her function as Shelby, she is enjoying the function of government producer, introducing her to a very new avenue of the leisure trade. “You get more creative say, you’re taking it to studios, finding a home for it,” she defined of the brand new gig, including that when she came upon the play was going to Hollywood, she actually needed to “have a handprint” on the venture not directly, given her familiarity with the fabric. “When you’re in it and specializing in a personality, you will have a very slender view of issues. When you step outdoors [of the character], it opens up the entire world. From being within the rehearsal room, I’ve a deep understanding of the play and the whole world, and the way will we take that from one room on a stage and open it up for movie?” (Sink is also acting in and serving as executive producer on The Marriage Plot, a TV adaptation of the 2011 novel by Jeffrey Eugenides, for FX.)
As for future acting roles, Sink said that she feels really privileged to be able to choose projects that align with where she is right now. “When you do find something that clicks, you just know. It’s a gut instinct, a story you want to tell,” she explained. “I look for something that is stretching and building new muscles and finding joy in it. It’s OK to do stuff because it’s fun. Because you can have challenging roles, but I want to leave room for having fun.”
Her creative process in developing a character, whether it’s Juliet from Romeo & Juliet or the young woman in Taylor Swift’s “All Too Well” music video, really depends on the role. For example, Sink spent a year working on Shakespeare, learning how to translate Juliet’s words into her own voice. She’s also gotten more comfortable speaking up and building her own interpretation of a character. “When I was younger, I’d have ideas but wouldn’t share them,” Sink instructed the Teen Vogue Fest crowd. “I used to be shy and wouldn’t acknowledge my potential. Now I do know my instincts have worth and I ought to observe them.”
