It’s been three long years since Stranger Things season three took the gang to Starcourt Mall and it’s almost time for fans to finally return to Hawkins and find out what happens six months after those events. A lot of the characters are in pretty rough shape as season three comes to a close and Max is definitely no exception.
Sadie Sink has taken on a number of high profile projects between the Stranger Things seasons, including other Netflix horror adventures, the long-awaited Taylor Swift All Too Well short-film, and some other projects. Now that she’s returning to Hawkins, Sadie is ready to bring another level of depth to everyone’s favorite zoomer.
We'll avoid specific season three spoilers, but the start of the season four trailer kicks off with Max speaking over someone's grave and the character has clearly taken some serious losses. During a recent interview with the cast of Stranger Things season four (volume one), The Best War Games had a chance to ask Sadie what it was like to return to this character after the traumatic events of the season three finale…
“I was really excited because I think it was time in the show to explore how these events are affecting our characters and Max was kind of the perfect candidate for that after Starcourt. That obviously caused a lot of changes and she’s feeling lost and in a lot of pain. The way Max deals with that is shutting herself off. It’s sad to watch her close herself off from the people who want to help her, but she’s stubborn. It was nice to explore that side of her and dig deeper and peel back some of those layers.” - Sadie Sink
In a follow-up question, Sadie was asked how her other roles - and Fear Street in particular - helped prepare her for where she needs to take Max during season four...
“The physicality of Fear Street really helped. Just getting comfortable with stunt work and things like that. I did a movie with Darren Aronofsky and I think that helped too with some of the more emotional stuff happening in this season. A lot of it contributed to crafting my performance and getting into the mindset of Max. Every night before I’d go to set I’d write a journal entry as Max. Think about what’s going on in her head that the camera might not know.” - Sadie
From the looks of the last season four trailer, Max is going to be playing a big role in Stranger Things this summer. It should be very exciting and emotional to see where the character goes from here and if she's able to recover from the trauma of season three with the help of her friends. Be sure to check back over the coming week for more features, news, and stories as Stranger Things season 4 (volume 1) arrives.
Stranger Things season 4, volume 1 releases on Netflix May 27. Volume 2 follows on July 1.