In 2022, a 20-year-old Sadie Sink ran from a monster to a Kate Bush song and sent a 1985 single to No. 1 in the UK almost four decades after its release. That scene from Stranger Things made her famous. The roles that followed made the case that she has real range. Here is every performance worth your time, ranked, plus where to stream each one now.
Key Takeaways
– Best role: Max Mayfield in Stranger Things Season 4, especially the episode “Dear Billy” (Netflix).
– Best film: The Whale (2022), opposite Oscar winner Brendan Fraser.
– Biggest stage moment: A 2025 Tony nomination for Broadway’s John Proctor Is the Villain.
– What’s next: An undisclosed role in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, due in theaters July 31, 2026.
– Watch first: Stranger Things S4, then Fear Street Part Two: 1978, then The Whale.
Where Sadie Sink Came From
Sink was born April 16, 2002, in Brenham, Texas. She started on Broadway, not in Hollywood. At 10 she joined the 2012 revival of Annie, playing July before stepping into the title role.
In 2015 she played the young Queen Elizabeth II in The Audience opposite Helen Mirren. That’s a heavy assignment for a 13-year-old. It also explains why her screen work feels so controlled: she learned in front of live crowds eight shows a week.
The Ranking
1. Max Mayfield, Stranger Things (2017–2025)
Sink joined the Netflix series in Season 2 as the skateboarding new kid from California. For two seasons Max was mostly attitude and a quick comeback.
Season 4 changed everything. In “Dear Billy,” Max writes letters to people she loves, then fights her way out of Vecna’s grip while “Running Up That Hill” plays on her Walkman. Sink plays grief as something physical: blank stares, clipped answers, a body that won’t stop bracing.
You can stream all five seasons on Netflix. The final season arrived in three batches between November 26 and December 31, 2025.
2. Ellie, The Whale (2022)
Darren Aronofsky cast her as the furious, estranged daughter of Brendan Fraser’s Charlie. Fraser won the Best Actor Oscar, and he couldn’t have done it without someone pushing back this hard.
Ellie is cruel, and Sink never softens her to make you like her. That refusal is the performance. The A24 film is usually available to rent or buy on Prime Video, Apple TV and similar storefronts. Streaming homes rotate, so check your services first.
3. Ziggy Berman, Fear Street Part Two: 1978 (2021)
Leigh Janiak’s Netflix trilogy put Sink at the center of its best chapter. Part Two is a summer-camp slasher, and Ziggy is the outcast with a lighter and a grudge.
She gets to be funny, scared, and tough within the same scene. If you love Friday the 13th, this is the one to queue up. All three films stream on Netflix.
4. Shelby Holcomb, John Proctor Is the Villain (Broadway, 2025)
Kimberly Belflower’s play follows a Georgia high school English class reading The Crucible in the #MeToo era. Danya Taymor directed, and Sink earned a 2025 Tony nomination for Best Actress in a Play.
It’s a stage role, so there’s nothing to stream. It still belongs on this list because it’s the clearest proof that her career rests on more than Netflix.
5. Her, All Too Well: The Short Film (2021)
Taylor Swift wrote and directed this roughly 15-minute short, with Sink and Dylan O’Brien as a couple drifting apart. There’s almost no dialogue for long stretches, which forces Sink to carry everything with her face.
It’s free on Taylor Swift’s official YouTube channel.
6. O’Dessa, O’Dessa (2025)
Geremy Jasper’s post-apocalyptic rock musical gave Sink her first true lead in a feature. She plays a farm girl searching for a family guitar, with Kelvin Harrison Jr., Murray Bartlett and Regina Hall around her.
The film itself is uneven, and the world-building gets cluttered. Her singing, though, is the real deal, and you can hear the Annie kid all grown up. It streams on Hulu in the US.
7. Tess, Dear Zoe (2022)
This quiet indie, directed by Gren Wells from Philip Beard’s novel, follows a teenager coping with her little sister’s death. Theo Rossi plays her biological father.
It’s small and a little sentimental. Watch it anyway if you want to see Sink handle grief without supernatural cover. Expect to rent it digitally.
8. Young Lori Walls, The Glass Castle (2017)
Sink has a supporting part as one of the Walls siblings in this adaptation of Jeannette Walls’s memoir, starring Brie Larson and Woody Harrelson. It isn’t a big role.
The director matters, though. Destin Daniel Cretton made The Glass Castle, and he is directing her again on Spider-Man: Brand New Day. The film is easy to find as a digital rental.
Her Range, In One Paragraph
Look at the list as a whole and you’ll see two modes. One is the guarded tough girl: Max, Ziggy, Ellie. The other is the open-hearted performer: O’Dessa, the Swift short, the stage work. The guarded mode is where she does her best work right now. Grief that comes out as anger is her signature, and few actors her age play it this precisely.
What to Watch First
If you only have a weekend, take them in this order:
- Stranger Things Season 4 for the breakout.
- Fear Street Part Two: 1978 for genre fun.
- The Whale for the heavy dramatic stuff.
Add the All Too Well short as a 15-minute palate cleanser between them.
What Happens Next
Her biggest swing yet is Marvel. Sony and Marvel confirmed her casting in Spider-Man: Brand New Day but haven’t said who she plays. Fan scoopers with mixed track records claim she could be Jean Grey, but nothing official backs that up, so treat it as rumor.
We track updates in our “spiderman brand new day” coverage. With Stranger Things over, this will be her biggest franchise role outside Hawkins.
FAQ
How old is Sadie Sink?
She was born April 16, 2002, so she turns 24 in April 2026.
What is Sadie Sink’s best performance?
Max Mayfield in Stranger Things Season 4, especially “Dear Billy.” The Whale is a close second and her strongest film role.
Where can I watch Sadie Sink’s movies?
Stranger Things and the Fear Street trilogy are on Netflix. O’Dessa is on Hulu. All Too Well: The Short Film is free on YouTube. The Whale is mostly a digital rental.
Did Sadie Sink win a Tony?
No. She was nominated for Best Actress in a Play in 2025 for John Proctor Is the Villain, which was her first Tony nomination.
Who is Sadie Sink playing in Spider-Man: Brand New Day?
Marvel hasn’t announced her role. Online claims that she’s playing Jean Grey are unconfirmed.
Can Sadie Sink sing?
Yes. She started in Broadway’s Annie and sings throughout O’Dessa, a rock musical built around her character’s music.
