“Oh my God. I can’t believe I said yes to this”: Sadie Sink Was Forced to Face Her Real Life Vecna on the Set of an Upcoming Film and It Had Her “freaking out”
- Sadie Sink, known for 'Stranger Things,' struggled with severe singing anxiety.
- The actress had to face the same fear on the set of her upcoming film.
- Despite her struggles, she said yes to the role, though she couldn't believe it later.
Sadie Sink, the young actress famous for playing Max Mayfield in Stranger Things, has opened up about her tough struggle with anxiety. The actress, now 22, shared a deeply personal story about her struggles with singing.
It’s a fear that gripped her as a child and nearly forced her to quit. This is quite different from the brave characters she plays on screen. However, fast forward to 2024, and she had to face the fear again. This time, though, she confronted it.
Sadie Sink Had to Face a Crippling Fear Her Upcoming Film
Sadie Sink‘s acting career began with a big dream, but a real-life Vecna almost put an end to it: singing! In early 2023, the star signed on for O’Dessa, a 2025 film by Geremy Jasper.
The story follows a farm girl searching for a family treasure in a future city. It’s a rock opera, so Sink will be singing professionally again—something she hasn’t done since she was 11. She told Variety:
“There was this moment where I was just like, ‘Oh my God. I can’t believe I said yes to this. Fuck. What am I doing?!’”
Sink continued that, at first, on set, she would sing a song, and no one else would really know that she was “freaking out.” However, in her head, it felt like, “Oh, that’s not my voice. That’s not how I can sing this song.”
Over time, her inner doubts started to go away. Sink admits, though, that some days were tougher than others. But at times, she felt totally fearless and confident, even while singing in front of a large audience. This was a hard hit for someone who had once found comfort and excitement in acting.
The Brenham native added that her trick was that, while she was acting as a character who sang, she felt free to be imperfect because it was just part of the role. However, in her real life, she doesn’t plan on singing anytime soon.
Sadie Sink’s Long-Standing Fear That Made Her Quit Singing
When Sadie Sink was 11, she began having panic attacks. After three years of acting and loving her role in a Broadway revival of Annie, everything changed. The pressure to sing perfectly became too much, and she admitted:
And then it just flipped. Singing became the worst thing ever. I was terrified by it.
The intense pressure of performing on Broadway made Sink believe that even one mistake—like a wrong note or missed line—would ruin the whole show. “I didn’t want to sing ever again,” she said. So, she decided to stop singing.
Determined not to let fear control her life, Sink faced her demons head-on. After a two-year hiatus from singing, she returned to Broadway in the Peter Morgan drama The Audience as a young Queen Elizabeth II. It was a part that didn’t need her to sing at all. Yet, on the first night, the old nerves came back. But then she told herself:
‘Sadie, if you don’t do this, what else do you have?’ The anxiety had already taken singing from me. If acting was gone, then it’s just all gone.
It’s ironic that an actress who has faced her own fears plays characters who battle their own monsters. Whether it’s the supernatural threats of the Upside Down or personal struggles, Sink brings a realness to her roles that connects deeply with audiences.
O’Dessa is set for release in 2025!
