What Sadie Sink Hopes Fans Will Remember Most About Max Mayfield

For most of Volume 2, Max is trapped, with 12 younger children from ST’s fictional town of Hawkins, in a mind-prison designed by the show’s villain, Vecna (played by Jamie Campbell Bower). One of these children is Holly Wheeler, played by Nell Fisher, whom Max shepherds through Vecna’s mental maze as she tries to reunite with her motley crew (who are also trying to outfox Vecna). “Stranger Things has always been big on unlikely pairings,” says Sink of her plotline, “and Max and Holly are no exception.”

By the end of Episode 6, Max is back with Eleven and the boys, including her love interest Lucas, played by McLaughlin—a touching moment. “Max runs through her portal from Vecna’s alter-world, and wakes up in Lucas’ arms,” Sink says. “That reunion was one of my favorite things to film. At that point, I hadn’t acted with any of my usual cast mates—at least not consciously—so it was really naturally emotional. It’s a huge moment for Max and Lucas’s relationship, and it shows how much they rely on each other.” Until that point, many of Max’s scenes outside of Vecna’s prison had been in a state of unconsciousness; back in Hawkins, she’s been stuck in a two-year trance.

Life after Stranger Things is already moving quickly: Following an acclaimed run in John Proctor Is the Villain on Broadway last season, next March she will star in a new adaptation of Romeo & Juliet in London.

Sink at the 2025 Tony Awards

Photo: Getty Images

“I didn’t expect to jump back into theater so soon,” she says, “but I got the bug again. Shakespeare has always fascinated me as a challenge, and Romeo & Juliet is one of the most famous stories in the world. It’s endlessly adaptable. It felt like a meaningful thing to take on, as I close the Stranger Things chapter.” She adds: “I’m in a learning phase right now. I don’t have a list of dream roles—I just want to be challenged, and to keep growing.” Sink has also been cast in an as-yet-undisclosed role in Spider-Man: Brand New Day, the next film in the live-action Marvel franchise starring Tom Holland and Zendaya. “I had a good time—that’s everything I’ll say,” Sink tells me with a twinkle in her eye.

As the conversation comes to a close—surely one of the final Stranger Things interviews Sink will do—her mood turns reflective. “What I’ll always think about most from this show are the friendships,” Sink says. “I feel like childhood friendships can fade as you get older. You’re together in school, then you move on. But with us, that didn’t happen. We always had the show bringing us back together, so those bonds just grew stronger. It’s rare to have people in your life who’ve seen you through so many chapters, watched you grow up, and helped shape who you are. I know these people will be in my life forever, and that’s such a gift to receive at such a young age. And we’re all so different; you don’t always get that kind of diversity in friendships, and it’s taught me a lot about myself and what friendship really means.”