Actress Sadie Sink recalls pleading with casting directors to give her a chance because they thought she was too old for the role in Stranger Things.
Sink provided details on how she got the role of Max Mayfield in an interview with Fashion. Max was a character introduced in Season 2 of the hugely successful Netflix show. The casting directors were initially hesitant to cast the actor because they believed that her age at the time—14—was inappropriate for the part. She refused to accept the denial, telling Fashion, “I basically begged and pleaded with them to give me more material, so I could show them something fresh,” because she had a personal connection to the character.
Eventually, the producers decided to press through with the casting process, setting up a chemistry reading with the show’s stars Gaten Matarazzo and Caleb McLaughlin, who respectively play Dustin Henderson and Lucas Sinclair. The following day, she was offered the part, securing her position as the group’s newest member for Season 2. Sink’s character went on to play a crucial role in Season 4 when Vecna, the season’s menacing and telepathic villain, set her as his target.
Sink began her acting career in small-town companies before getting the chance to try out for Annie and The Audience, two Broadway shows. She also made appearances as a young actor in several television series, such as Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, The Americans, and Blue Bloods.