Sadie Sink gets emotional about saying goodbye to Max as Stranger Things heads to its finale
As Stranger Things prepares to bow out with its final episode, the emotions are running high not just among fans but also within the cast that grew up alongside the series. For Sadie Sink, who has played Max Mayfield since Season 2, wrapping up her journey on the show was anything but easy.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Sink reflected on her final days on set, describing them as deeply emotional. She admitted that filming her last scene brought a flood of feelings, with tears becoming inevitable as the long-running chapter came to a close.
Recalling how the creators and cast handled those final moments, Sink said the Duffer Brothers were thoughtful about giving each character a meaningful send-off. “The Duffers did a good job of finding the right moments to end each of our characters’ stories and to have a good scene to wrap on,” she said, adding that the cast made it a point to support one another. “One thing we all did was try to be there for each other on each other’s last days.”
Although the cast recently watched the finale together, Sink believes the true weight of the goodbye is yet to fully sink in. “We all watched the finale last week, and I thought that would be another wave of goodbye, but I really think this period is about sharing it with the fans,” she explained. “I expect to have that second wave of emotion once the finale is actually streaming on Netflix.”
Looking back on her final day, Sink feels she allowed herself to grieve properly. “I cried so much that last day. I feel like I grieved it properly, and I got it all out of my system,” she said, before adding with a smile, “But I fear there’s more coming.”
Stranger Things 5 has been released in two volumes, with Vol. 1 premiering on November 26 and Vol. 2 arriving on Netflix on Christmas Day. The series’ final episode, titled Stranger Things: The Finale – The Right Side Up, will stream globally on New Year's Eve. The episode has also been slightly extended, now running for two hours and eight minutes, making the farewell to Hawkins a long and emotional one.