Warning: Season 4 of Stranger Things spoilers ahead. Season 4 of Stranger Things put Sadie Sink’s character Max Mayfield through a lot.
The ‘Stranger Things’ star has been linked to a string of different men, but her love life is nothing like that seen in “Max Mayfield.”
The season’s main antagonist, Vecna, has essentially been following her the entire time and came dangerously near to killing her in several close calls (thank god for Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill”). But at the heartbreaking conclusion, Max falls victim to Vecna’s abilities and enters a coma. The young actress’s eerie performance earned her an Emmy nomination, and even co-star Winona Ryder predicted that Sink would “become like Meryl Streep.”
Although Max’s season has largely been doomed, she did manage to mend fences with her ex-boyfriend Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin). He definitely still loves her because of how devastated he was as he held her lifeless body. At one point, the two even appeared to be flirting, suggesting that they would get back together in Season 5. Although Max’s future appears grim (she is in a coma), should she survive, her love life might just take off. It is only natural to turn to the actor portraying the Stranger Things fan favorite and ask what is happening in her love life now that Max has been located (and the shippers of Lucas and Max have been somewhat satiated).
So, is Sadie Sink in a relationship?
The Fear Street actor is renowned for being reserved and avoiding social media. In June, Sink admitted to Glamour UK that she didn’t have the Instagram app or any other social media apps on her phone. Although she admitted that she occasionally used social media to check in, she said that it wasn’t the greatest environment for her. So it’s not surprising that she hasn’t shared any images of herself with anyone who would end up stoking dating rumors.
Sink began performing on Broadway when she was a little child and landed her first role in The Americans when she was 11 years old. But she didn’t even share her first kiss with co-star McLaughlin until she got her career-launching role as a Hawkins transplant in Stranger Things Season 2 at the age of 15. It was McLaughlin’s first kiss as well, and he admitted in a Beyond Stranger Things episode that he felt “strange” about it because they had recorded it in front of their parents. “I mean, of course I was worried because it’s a first kiss, right?” Sink said to TheWrap. Max clings to her recollection of their first kiss at the Snow Ball and even attempts to use it to block out Vecna.
Fans questioned whether Sink and McLaughlin were genuinely dating off-screen because of their on-screen connection. But the actor dispelled any lingering concerns and revealed that he was good friends with the cast in a May interview with Vogue Singapore. “You cannot adequately convey the bond that we share. We’ve shared this incredibly unusual upbringing together, and we’ve always had each other to rely on and confide in. We have various ways of understanding one another, she told the publication. The phrase “emotionally unavailable” was also used by her. Sink drew comparisons between herself and her on-screen counterpart Max, saying, “I also believe Max and I can be fairly closed off at times, maybe slightly emotionally unavailable. However, she has a tender heart. That could be a sign that she isn’t dating anyone right now.
But it wasn’t just the Stranger Things fan base that was giddy with anticipation over Sink’s potential love interests. When Sink co-starred with Dylan O’Brien in Taylor Swift’s short film All Too Well, Swifties quickly embraced her as one of their favorites (The Maze Runner). Although the 15-minute movie was launched in November 2021, the actors and production had already been publicized for several months. Thus, speculation that Sink and Patrick Alwyn were dating began when the two were seen together in New York in September 2021. Some have even suggested that Swift acted as a matchmaker between the two, particularly given that Alwyn is Joe Alwyn from Conversations With Friends, who is also Swift’s longterm boyfriend. The two haven’t been spotted together since Sink and Alwyn didn’t respond to the rumors.
Sink hasn’t been seen dating anybody else since either, so for the time being, it looks like she’s single, although she’s busier than ever. She has been modeling for some of the most desired fashion labels in addition to acting, most notably on the Miu Miu runway in Paris. Additionally, she is working on other projects, including The Whale, which will debut later this year.
She has a very diverse social life. Sink said she is “extremely close” to her family in an interview with Glamour UK. The actor declared, “My brother Mitchell is my dearest friend in the entire world.” “We’ve obviously known each other our entire lives, and we have a genuine trust for one another. I place a lot of importance on that. It’s an extremely unique bond. The Stranger Things cast has also helped Sink form a friendship, and she is real-life BFFs with Millie Bobby Brown, who plays Max’s on-screen BFF Eleven.
Besides Swift, she has other well-known people on her list of pals. To have Swift as a friend, director, mentor, and to be able to bring such an iconic song to life was really an honor, Sink said to Glamour UK. “[Swift is] such a wonderful human being, so clever and so grounded.”