Sadie Sink Reveals She Struggles With Imposter Syndrome (2024)

If you aren’t already obsessed with Sadie Sink, you’re about to be. The 20-year-old actress plays Max Mayfield in Stranger Things, and with Season 4 of the Netflix show about to drop, get ready to be hearing about the talented Sadie Sink non-stop.

Sadie has played roles in movies like Eli, The Glass Castle, and Netflix’s Fear Street trilogy as well as playing one of the main roles in Taylor Swift’s iconic “All Too Well (10 Minute Version)” short film, but did you know that she started her career performing on the Broadway stage? Or that she’s strutted the catwalk as a runway model at Paris Fashion Week? Or that she went vegan at age 14 thanks to Woody Harrelson? All of these and more fun facts that you need to know about Sadie Sink below. Get ready to be ~educated~ on the up-and-coming actress.

She's an Aries

Sadie Sink's birthday is April 16, 2002, which means that her zodiac sign is Aries. The actress recently turned 20 years old.

She got her big break through Stranger Things

Sadie joined the cast of Netflix's Stranger Things during Season 2, played a major role in the plot of Season 3, and will be returning to play Max Mayfield on the Duffer brother's hit show for Season 4. It's been almost three years since we've gotten a new season of Stranger Things so needless to say, the anticipation has been building up for a while! Luckily, Sadie told PEOPLE that "it's the most bizarre season we've ever had. Just the scale of it is out of this world."

She makes a lot of money per Stranger Things episode

According to Statista, it was reported that Sadie Sink was paid $150,000 per episode. There were 10 episodes in Season 2 and 8 episodes in Season 3 — so that comes out to $2.7 million, giving the actress a net worth of almost $3 million. It's safe to assume that due to her much bigger role in Seasons 3 and 4, she'll be making even more money for the upcoming Stranger Things episodes.

She's been on Broadway before

In fact, Broadway is where Sadie made her performing debut! Sadie told Vogue Singapore that she was too young to audition for a local community theater production of The Secret Garden but begged her mom to let her try out anyways. "It was then that I decided that I wanted to stick with this, and do it properly," she explained.

Sadie’s family moved from Texas to New York City to help her pursue her Broadway career. The actress played Annie in Annie the musical and co-starred with Helen Mirren in The Audience on Broadway before transitioning to on-screen acting.

She starred in Taylor Swift's "All Too Well" short film

Sadie explained to The Hollywood Reporter that working on Stranger Things Season 4 emotionally prepared her to star in the "All Too Well" short film, thanks to the more emotional scenes and having to practice being vulnerable onscreen. "I'll continue to tap into that more in the future," she shares.

Taylor Swift specifically had Sadie Sink and Dylan O'Brien in mind for her film and told E!'s Daily Pop that she "got their numbers and sent them text messages and had already created an entire treatment and script and like, visual kind of references of what I wanted to do. [...] When they said yes, I was so elated because I didn't have backups in mind."

Sadie is close with the rest of the Stranger Things cast

Sadie also shared with Vogue Singapore about the bond that she has with her castmates, saying that "you can’t describe it. We’ve grown up together in this really unique situation and we’ve always had each other to lean on and talk to. We understand each other in a different way.”

She also told Glamour UK that "What’s so great about the show is that each year, you get to work more closely with new people, be it new characters or existing ones that you get to film with a lot more. This season, I got really close with Maya [Hawke, who plays Robin Buckley on the show] because we finally got scenes together. We had the best time and it’s just so nice to be able to spend more time with different cast members."

"I joined the cast in the second season when the show was already such a success, so I had an idea of what to expect, but it was still a process for me to get used to all the things I had never done before like the photoshoots, the press tours and the events,” she adds. “It was very overwhelming, especially because I was a new character on a show that is so loved, but it was just great to have a solid support group in the rest of the cast. We are all going through the same things at the same time and there’s a comfort in knowing you’re surrounded by people who have your best interests at heart and won’t let you get caught up in anything.”

And when it comes to the adults on the Stranger Things set, they had some pretty wonderful things to say about her.

Winona Ryder, who plays Joyce Byers, recently said that "[Sadie is] going to be like Meryl Streep" during an interview with E! News. "They’re all so talented. Just kind, good people. We really scored with these kids. It’s been great watching them grow up," Winona raved.

Sadie struggles with imposter syndrome

In a June 1 interview with Glamour UK, Sadie got real about what it's like to work in the entertainment industry at such a young age.

“Growing up in this industry, you always kind of compare yourself to others,” Sadie says. “That’s when you start doubting your abilities and those were my biggest insecurities, particularly in terms of coming into my own as an actor.”

Years of practice have helped her cope with self-criticism and societal pressures. “As you get more experience, it becomes less about the competition and thinking ‘Oh my God, am I good enough?’ and more about finding yourself and drowning out the noise that comes with being in this industry.”

To further manage her mental health, Sadie admits that she doesn't use social media regularly. “I don’t have the Instagram app or any social media apps on my phone. I’ll download it sometimes to check-in, but I don’t really like to associate with any of the negative things on social media,” she says.

"It took me a while to realize that social media probably isn’t the best place for me, but now I really don’t indulge in it much," she adds.

Sadie is vegan

Sadie met Woody Harrelson, who is vegan, on the set of the movie The Glass Castle back when she was 14 years old. She told Glamour UK that “he's a very passionate vegan and his entire family is vegan as well, so by spending time with them, I was able to learn that a vegan lifestyle is totally doable and it’s not as hard as it may seem.”

The actress was vegetarian at that point but decided to go vegan after learning more about the egg and dairy industries as well as being influenced by Woody Harrelson and his family. She's also a strong advocate for animal rights, having previously narrated the animal rights documentary Dominion.

Sadie has modeled for multiple brands as well as walked in runway shows

Sadie Sink's first fashion campaign was with Miu Miu during the 2017 holiday season. She was then featured in Kate Spade's Spring 2019 campaign, and just last year, the actresses starred in a Givenchy campaign for their bestselling lipstick Le Rouge Deep Velvet. Sadie even hit the Paris Fashion Week runways for Undercover's Fall 2018 show.