dpSadie Sink is ready for her next chapter. After saying goodbye to her Stranger Things character Max Mayfield when the massively popular series ended in early 2026, Sink knew it was time for something different. We’ve all been there—after one door closes, another opens (if you’re ready for the challenge)—and Sink discussed how that feeling motivated her in conversation 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, appearing on Broadway in John Proctor Is the Villain—for which she was nominated for a Tony Award—and in the West End in Romeo & Juliet, opposite Noah Jupe. She then joined the Spiderverse in a much-anticipated, still closely guarded role in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. But the theater was her first home; Sink got her start in local and regional theater, which led her to a role on Broadway as another famous redhead: the one and only Annie. “My foundation as an actor was rooted in the theater,” Sink said. “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 noted that spending time with a character in the rehearsal room is one of her favorite parts of putting on a play. “You’re discovering new things, and it’s amazing to see where the performance started versus where it ends up,” she said. “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 into a movie, and while Sink isn’t reprising her role as Shelby, she is playing the role of executive producer, introducing her to a completely new avenue of the entertainment industry. “You get more creative say, you’re taking it to studios, finding a home for it,” she explained of the new gig, adding that once she found out the play was going to Hollywood, she really wanted to “have a handprint” on the project in some way, given her familiarity with the material. “When you’re in it and focusing on a character, you have a really narrow view of things. When you step outside [of the character], it opens up the whole world. From being in the rehearsal room, I have a deep understanding of the play and the entire world, and how do we take that from one room on a stage and open it up for film?” (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 told the Teen Vogue Fest crowd. “I was shy and wouldn’t recognize my potential. Now I know my instincts have value and I should follow them.”
