Stranger Things’ Sadie Sink Shares Her Thoughts on Eleven’s Fate

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Warning: This article contains major spoilers for Stranger Things season five, volume three.

Friends don’t lie—and neither does Sadie Sink. 

As a huge fan, I was completely blown away by the Stranger Things finale! It was so emotional when Eleven seemed to sacrifice herself to close the gate to the Upside Down. Then, Mike sharing that alternate ending – the one where she’s actually okay – gave me chills! After it all settled, Sadie Sink, who plays Max, gave her take on what really happened, and honestly, it made the whole experience even more impactful.

During an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on January 5th, the actress who played Max Mayfield on the Netflix series suggested her character may be gone. She believes Mike’s storyline is meant to represent the end of childhood for the group, and that it will conclude with one final story.

The 23-year-old actress thinks Mike telling their friends – Will, Dustin, Lucas, and Max – that Eleven had escaped to a happy place was just his way of dealing with the situation. Even though Max and the others say they believe Eleven is still alive, Sadie is happy with how the story concluded.

“I think it’s stronger,” she added. “That’s my interpretation.”

As a huge fan, I’ve learned that Millie Bobby Brown, along with the show’s creators, Matt and Ross Duffer, actually do know the full story of what happened to Eleven. It’s frustrating, but they’ve decided they aren’t sharing the details with us just yet! They’re keeping it under wraps for now.

I was chatting with Millie about this recently, and it really got me thinking. As a writer, I believe revealing your intentions after a story is finished actually diminishes the impact of the ending. The mystery and the reader’s own interpretation are so important – sharing what I was thinking while writing it takes away from that power.

The brothers emphasized that there was a reason they chose to leave Eleven’s fate ambiguous.

Matt explained they want viewers to feel like they’re in the same position as the characters, left to decide for themselves what to believe. He said the scene is designed to be ambiguous, with evidence supporting multiple interpretations.

The show’s creators explained that Eleven’s storyline, focused on fantastical abilities, needed to wrap up as the characters grew older. But realistically, they found it difficult to give her a satisfying conclusion, considering the intense pursuit by the American military who wanted to continue experimenting on her throughout the final season.

Honestly, it just kills me to think about her still being out there, dealing with all that! We were talking about it – I mean, really talking about it – about how she could even live with everything that happened. The whole season explores this, with characters constantly questioning it. Could she actually have a happy ending? Like, a real happy ending? I’m talking married to Mike, a normal life, the government finally leaving them alone and ending that awful experiment? Just imagining it gives me chills, but is it even possible? It’s all I think about!

He admitted that their team simply “couldn’t figure out a way to make it work.”

Millie hasn’t publicly said what she thinks about the finale, but her husband, Jake Bongiovi, posted on Instagram on January 2nd with a picture of her, simply writing, “I believe!!”

Although some details about Stranger Things will stay secret, a lot has been revealed over the past ten years about how the show was made. Here’s a deeper look.

Before creating Stranger Things, brothers Matt and Ross Duffer worked on M. Night Shyamalan’s TV show Wayward Pines. Their initial idea for the series was actually called Montauk.

Matt explained to The Daily Beast in 2016 that it’s incredibly difficult to convince people to change a title once you’ve become attached to it. He said that when they first suggested Stranger Things, it was a challenge to get others to accept it.

The creators of the show originally planned to film on Long Island, but it ended up being too difficult to do so.

Matt told The Hollywood Reporter they chose Montauk as a filming location because of its beautiful seaside atmosphere. He also mentioned Montauk served as inspiration for the town in his favorite movie, Jaws, and he thought it would be a great place to film. However, they quickly realized shooting on Long Island during the winter would be too difficult and costly.

Atlanta ultimately became the home base for production.

Before Netflix decided to air the show, nearly 20 other networks had rejected it, as reported by Vulture. Executives at those networks worried viewers wouldn’t connect with a series led by four child actors.

4. To play Eleven, then 12-year-old Millie Bobby Brown had to say goodbye to her hair.

In 2018, at PaleyFest, the actress described shaving her head as the most liberating experience of her life. She explained that when the last of her hair fell, she felt completely exposed and couldn’t hide anymore. Looking in the mirror, she realized her purpose was to inspire others, proving that beauty doesn’t depend on having hair.

She found inspiration for her role in both Charlize Theron’s performance in Mad Max: Fury Road and old yearbook pictures of her fellow actress, Winona Ryder.

She mentioned that Winona Ryder’s short, pixie haircut was iconic and inspired her to try the style herself.

The British actress shared a surprising source she used to nail her American accent: Miley Cyrus’s Hannah Montana. She told Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show that the show was “so good,” praising everything about it and crediting it with helping her master the accent.

The Duffer brothers used scenes from the movie Stand By Me when auditioning young actors to find the four main child stars for their show.

The brothers had a specific vision for the character of Mike, but that changed after Finn Wolfhard’s audition.

Matt explained to The Daily Beast in 2016 that Mike initially reminded him of a wistful, imaginative character like Mikey from The Goonies. However, Finn Wolfhard brought a nervous, restless energy to the audition, and the writers tailored the character to fit his personality.

You know, one of the most fascinating things about creating characters is how the actors themselves can shape them. That definitely happened with Dustin on ‘Stranger Things’! Initially, he was envisioned as a pretty typical ‘nerd’ character, but then we met Gaten Matarazzo, and he was just so special. We quickly realized we needed to rewrite parts of the show to really showcase his unique talents and personality. He truly helped define who Dustin became, and we couldn’t be happier with how it all turned out!

After the show gained popularity, Kellogg’s noticed a big jump in Eggo waffle sales, thanks to Eleven’s love for them. They reported a 14 percent increase in sales towards the end of 2017, following the release of the second season. October of that year also saw the most social media buzz about Eggo waffles ever.

In early 2018, David Harbour became an internet sensation when he agreed to take a fan’s senior portraits for her. It started when she tweeted asking him to do her photos if she got enough retweets. He responded he’d do it for 25,000 retweets, and even wanted to wear the school sweatshirt and hold a trombone! True to his promise, he followed through and took her pictures.

He joked on Instagram, referencing a high school superlative: “Most likely to hijack someone’s senior photos 24 years later.”

Later that year, Harbour playfully offered to marry a fan if she could get 125,000 retweets and a piece of wedding cake. He became officially ordained and ended up performing the ceremony dressed as his character, Chief Hopper.

As a huge fan, I remember everyone speculating about Eleven being Hopper’s biological daughter, but what really got me was when he became her dad in every way that mattered. And then, that beautiful detail in the season two finale – seeing Eleven wearing the blue braided bracelet, the one made from his daughter’s hair ribbon, at the dance! It was such a sweet, heartbreaking Easter egg and really solidified their father-daughter bond for me.

Millie Bobby Brown, who plays Eleven, had never kissed anyone before filming the first season of the show. She described her first kiss with Mike as ‘a strange experience,’ adding that having around 250 people watching made it feel overwhelming.

She shared what her co-star secretly told her right before they had to kiss for a second time on the show.

She recounted an awkward first kiss, explaining that he warned her he was leaning in for a kiss by saying, ‘I’m coming in,’ but did so in a strangely robotic way, almost like a ventriloquist. She described the experience as ‘the craziest thing’.

Natalia Dyer and Charlie Heaton, who star as a couple on the show, started dating in 2016 and have generally kept their romance out of the public eye.

You know, privacy is really important to me. I cherish my relationships with family and friends and prefer to keep those parts of my life private. But I have to admit, it’s also been a really cool experience collaborating with someone I’m close to outside of work – it’s always a lot of fun!

Surprisingly, Joe Keery’s popular character, Steve Harrington, was originally intended to die at the end of the first season.

According to Ross, they quickly grew fond of Joe Keery, who played Steve Harrington, while filming the first season. This affection led them to create a storyline where Steve teams up with Jonathan and Nancy to help resolve the central conflict. Originally, Steve was intended to be a stereotypical, unpleasant athlete, but Keery brought much more depth to the character.

18. Also slated to perish was Eleven. Yes, really. 

In the book Stranger Things: Worlds Turned Upside Down, Ross Duffer explained that the original plan was for Eleven to sacrifice herself to save everyone. However, when they realized the show might continue beyond one season, they decided against a definitive ending for her. They understood that Stranger Things wouldn’t work without Eleven, and they quickly recognized how talented Millie Bobby Brown was. If the show was going to have a future, Eleven needed to survive.

The seventh episode of the second season, “The Lost Sister,” nearly didn’t make it onto screens. According to the Duffer brothers in an interview with Vulture, they worried the episode – which focuses on Eleven’s search for another experimented-on child – would disrupt the show’s flow.

Matt said that as they started writing the episode, they questioned whether it was even necessary. They seriously considered cutting it entirely, but the planned ending involving Eleven didn’t work without it. Ultimately, they decided the episode was essential to the story.

20. Eleven’s sibling was written to be a boy, with the episode originally titled “The Lost Brother.” 

Once the audition was open to all young actors, Linnea Berthelsen won the role. The episode then showed Eleven meeting her “sister,” Kali. According to Matt, Linnea and Millie (who plays Eleven) had a strong connection, and Millie specifically requested to work with Linnea.

Nicola Coughlan, known for her role in Bridgerton, originally tried out for the part of Robin. However, she later landed the role of Penelope Featherington. Maya Hawke ended up getting the part of Robin, and Nicola has said Hawke was much better suited for it than she would have been.

She explained that auditioning teaches actors a valuable lesson: don’t take rejection personally. You’re simply better suited for some roles than others, and that’s perfectly normal.

Before landing the role of Sarah on the Netflix series Outer Banks, Madelyn Cline played the character Tina, a popular but unkind student at Hawkins High, in season two of the show.

To land the role of Billy, the rebellious older stepbrother of Max (played by Sadie Sink), Australian actor Dacre Montgomery created a memorable audition tape. He told GQ he aimed to impress the Duffer brothers with something bold and a little edgy.

Dacre took a big risk to get noticed: he filmed himself dancing to 80s hits like “Come on Eileen” and “Hungry Like the Wolf” while wearing very little clothing. He worried it might end his career, but he hoped someone would see his talent and give him an opportunity. Luckily, the gamble worked out for him.

As the show entered its third season, Deadline reported significant pay raises for the cast. The younger actors saw their per-episode salaries jump from around $30,000 to over $200,000, and potentially as high as $250,000. Winona Ryder and David Harbour were each earning approximately $300,000 to $350,000 per episode, while Natalia Dyer and Charlie Heaton were making between $100,000 and $150,000.

Let me tell you, as someone who keeps an eye on rising stars, Priah Ferguson absolutely killed it as Erica, Lucas’ little sister, on ‘Stranger Things’! Originally, she was only meant to be in one episode during season two, but the Duffer brothers quickly realized what a gem they had. She was just so good! They kept adding scenes for her, and before you knew it, she became a series regular for season three – and rightfully so! It’s a perfect example of recognizing talent and letting it shine.

Because the young actors were still growing during filming, the costume designers had a hard time making sure their clothes fit consistently from scene to scene.

It was quite a challenge keeping up with the kids’ growing feet,” costume designer Kim Wilcox explained to TopMob News. “One child, in particular, seemed to outgrow his shoes every three weeks, needing a half size bigger! To solve this, we started buying five pairs of the same shoe from brands that offered a wide range of sizes. That way, whenever a child had a growth spurt, we’d already have a suitable replacement.

The Duffer brothers, when creating the show, were inspired by classic films like The Goonies, E.T., and Stand By Me, but they made sure not to directly copy them.

As a huge fan, it was fascinating to hear the Duffer Brothers talk about how Stranger Things came to be. Apparently, when they first pitched the show to Netflix, they created a really ambitious trailer – about two and a half minutes long – that blended clips from a ton of movies. They were trying to visually capture the feeling of the show, drawing on all the films that inspired them. But what really struck me is that, once they got into the actual writing process, they didn’t spend much time consciously referencing those movies. They focused on the characters and letting the story unfold naturally. They said if they’d kept trying to cram in references, it would have become a confusing mess, and I totally get that – they wanted something original, not just a collection of homages.

The team initially aimed for a retro style by minimizing special effects, but they soon realized it was more challenging than they expected.

Initially, we wanted to rely entirely on practical effects, like they did in films such as The Thing and Alien. But we quickly learned how incredibly difficult that is. It requires a huge amount of time and planning. We were writing scripts very quickly, but didn’t have the six months or so needed to properly prepare all the practical effects. When we got to set, many of the ideas that sounded good in theory just weren’t feasible because we simply didn’t have enough time to execute them the old-fashioned way, explained Ross.

The creators, the Duffer brothers, originally planned for ‘Stranger Things’ to last five seasons. According to Netflix executive Matthew Thunell, many of their ideas from 2015 are now coming to fruition as the series nears its conclusion. Variety magazine reported that each episode of season four cost around $30 million to produce.

As a huge fan, I’ve heard they do know how Stranger Things will end, which is a relief! But the Duffer brothers, the creators, aren’t quite ready to say goodbye to the world of the Upside Down just yet, and honestly, I’m thrilled to hear that!

In an interview with Variety, the creators revealed they have a spin-off idea they’re really enthusiastic about, but it’s still in the early stages – they haven’t even shared the concept yet. While they’ve been trying to keep it under wraps, Matt and Ross confessed that Finn had already correctly guessed what the series would be about, describing it as “very, very different.” They emphasized that Finn is the only one who knows the premise so far.

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2026-01-06 17:19