Stranger Things 5: Sadie Sink on Max's Fate: "They Love Having Me Run" (2024)

Posted in: Netflix, Preview, Stranger Things, streaming, TV | Tagged: netflix, preview, Sadie Sink, stranger things 5

Sadie Sink and Matt & Ross Duffer drop a tease or two about Max's involvement in the final season of the Netflix series, Stranger Things 5.

With filming onMattDuffer and Ross Duffer's Stranger Things 5 now having blown past its midpoint at the end of last month (and with expectations high for some first-look previews during Netflix's Geeked Week next month), we're getting a tease or two about what's in store for Sadie Sink's Max. Of course, Max's active involvement in the final season is more than a bit hampered by the fact that the third season ended with her in a coma – a point that Sink was reminded of during a recent interview for a Variety profile. "They love having me run. That's all I'll say," Sink shared in response to it being pointed out that it seems clear that Max won't be spending the entire season in a hospital bed.

Oh, and don't expect the Duffer Brothers to offer many details, either. "She's going to play a part in the season," Matt Duffer is quoted as saying in the profile. Ross Duffer added, "But we don't want to reveal how that's possible" – with Matt following up with, "Right, because she's in a coma." But in praising Sink, Matt Duffer did tease an "absolutely heartbreaking" scene that was on the way. "I think she's grown just more confident as an actor and in her choices," he shares. "We did film a scene the other day with her that was just absolutely heartbreaking. I don't know how she hits those notes."

Here's a look back at Ross Duffer's "Weeks 25-27" image and gallery post from late last month – followed by some previous insights from Ross & Matt regarding what viewers can expect from the final run:

And don't forget thatNell Fisher, Jake Connelly, Alex Breaux, and the amazing Linda Hamilton have joined the cast for the fifth and final season – here's a look back at the video announcing Hamilton's casting:

Stranger Things 5 "Like Season One on Steroids"

During an interview with The Guardian, Ross & Matt discuss the pressures of ending the series in a way that works creatively and satisfies the audience's expectations and how this final run with these characters will feel "like season one on steroids."

"The nine hours that precede the ending can be amazing. But if you stumble at that one-yard line, people will never forgive you for that. And they'll forget the previous nine hours of awesomeness! So it's amazing what they will forgive if you score a touchdown at the end," Matt Duffer explained when discussing their feelings on how series finales are viewed. "Endings of shows are like opening a restaurant in terms of the success-failure rate – there's an 80% failure rate, I'd say. But I think one very particular way to fail is to attempt to appease everybody."

Matt continued, "We have a huge variety of fans that span a huge age range, and I'm sure they have all their own ideas of how they want the show to end. But we're not consulting social media on this. Then you just hope and pray that it resonates. But it was funny: once we got there, it just felt right, and we're going to go for it!"

As the duo had stated previously, the universe will live on after Stranger Things 5 – but the characters that viewers have grown to love & connect with will see their stories end with the fifth season. With that much on the line, the Duffer Brothers aren't going out quietly. "This season – it's like season one on steroids. It's the biggest it's ever been in terms of scale, but it has been really fun, because everyone's back together in Hawkins: the boys and Eleven interacting more in line with how it was in season one. And, yes, there may be spin-offs, but the story of Eleven and Dustin and Lucas and Hopper, their stories are done here. That's it," Matt shared – before adding, "Outside of the play. So if you want to see more of some of them, go see the play."