Sadie Sink is “really grateful” she’s kept her life private.
The 23-year-old actress – who is best known for playing Max Mayfield in Stranger Things – was always “resistant” to opening up about herself when she was younger and now she’s pleased she did so because she thinks it makes her performances more believable.
She told Australia’s ELLE magazine: “When I was younger, I thought maybe I needed to be more open about who I was because there’s so much public interest.
“But I was always resistant, and now I’m really grateful because I’d rather people see me as Max than Sadie. If I can leave myself out of it, then I’ve done my job.”
Sadie only joined Stranger Things in season two and initially worried about fitting in with the established cast.
And after recently looking back over some footage of that time, the actress felt “so emotional” because she realised how quickly they had bonded.
She said: “My mum and I were just talking about it yesterday; we were going on a trip down memory lane and she showed me one of my favourite videos.
“The boys are all in their Ghostbusters costumes and I’m in my Michael Myers [from Halloween] costume in the make-up trailer, and I think a Tears for Fears song is playing and we’re all dancing together — that was my first day of filming.
“I get so emotional watching that video because I remember feeling so nervous to be there, beyond being on a huge TV show but with a group of established friends who loved each other so much, worrying about Will I fit in?, and now I see that I did. It’s such a precious video.”
Although Stranger Things is about to come to an end, Sadie doesn’t think she will ever properly “say goodbye” to her beloved alter ego.
She said: “She’s such a huge part of me that I don’t think I can shrug her off. I could never say goodbye to her. I don’t need to play Max to know her.
“Saying goodbye to the show and cast was the harder part.”
