Flonique Guimary

Sadie Sink opens up about her journey to land the role of Jean Grey

Article (news)

E. Kristhoff Cagape

Push Team

<p>Sadie Sink opened up about her journey to land the role of Jean Grey, a character she first portrays in <em>Spider-Man: Brand New Day.</em></p><p>In an interview with Variety, the actress admitted that she was initially unfamiliar about the character.</p><p>&quot;Honestly, I knew nothing about her. People had started rumors about me playing that character — for like years, it had kind of been circulating online — so that was all I knew about her. But I had never seen <em>X-Men</em>, so I was just like unfamiliar,&quot; she recalled.</p><p>Sadiie shared that things changed after Marvel Studios executives Kevin Feige and Louis D’Esposito reached out to her and explained the character’s role in the film.</p><p>&quot;Then Kevin and Louis from Marvel called me, set up a meeting, and just told me about the character, about her role in <em>Spider-Man.</em> Then I did more research on her, and I was like, &#x27;Oh yeah, this is a no-brainer!&#x27; She’s such an iconic figure in <em>X-Men</em> and in comics, and I’m very excited to bring my iteration of her to life,&quot; she stated.</p><p>When asked who were among the first people she told about landing the role, the actress revealed that her family and<em> Stranger Things</em> creators Matt and Ross Duffer were among those who knew early on.</p><p>&quot;It was definitely more than three, if I’m being honest. You have people that you can trust within the industry to talk about it. So, my family knew and everything, and then I slowly … like the Duffers were some of the first few people I told. Because I was filming with them, and they’re obviously huge influences in my career and life, and have watched me grow up, so I wanted them to know that that’s what I would be doing next. And they were so excited.&quot;</p><div><br/></div><div><iframe class="instagram-media instagram-media-rendered" id="instagram-embed-8" src="https://www.instagram.com/p/DbbV0vPkY8q/embed/?cr=1&amp;v=14&amp;wp=684&amp;rd=https%3A%2F%2Fod2-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com&amp;rp=%2F#%7B%22ci%22%3A8%2C%22os%22%3A16728024.800000072%2C%22ls%22%3A3963448.899999976%2C%22le%22%3A3963450.3000000715%7D" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="1017" data-instgrm-payload-id="instagram-media-payload-8" scrolling="no" style="background:white;max-width:658px;width:calc(100% - 2px);border-radius:3px;border:1px solid rgb(219, 219, 219);box-shadow:none;display:block;margin:0px 0px 12px;min-width:326px;padding:0px"></iframe></div><script async="" src="https://www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script><div><br/></div><p>According to Sadie, the Duffers were immediately enthusiastic about her taking on Jean Grey.</p><p>&quot;Well, they were just like, &#x27;That’s the best character. You have to do it!&#x27; and like, &#x27;That’s perfect. You’re going to be amazing,&#x27; and blah blah blah. They thought it was the right fit for me, and I trust their opinion because they love comics and stuff like that, and are very well versed with these characters, so it was good to have their input,&quot; she highlighted.</p><p>Sadie also spoke about Jean Grey’s backstory involving her sister Sara in <em>Spider-Man: Brand New Day</em>, explaining how the character’s past helps provide context for her actions in the film.</p><p>&quot;Giving [Jean] a backstory is really important — especially given her actions in the film. She’s very flawed. You’re meeting her at a strange point, because I don’t think she is someone who wants to harm, but she herself has been harmed, so that’s all she knows. So, giving her that backstory and a motive behind her actions is really powerful,&quot; she said. </p><div><br/></div><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/showbiz/movies-series/2026/7/4/sadie-sink-lands-secret-role-in-spider-man-brand-new-day-without-an-audition-1552" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>READ: Sadie Sink lands secret role in ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ without an audition</strong></a></div><div><br/></div><p>She also discussed how she approached the character from a more nuanced perspective.</p><p>&quot;They told me that I was the villain, but that you’re not actually the villain, which is how I played her. I don’t really want to lean into, like this bad guy aura. Because in her brain it’s totally justified. Which I mean, I agree. I think it is,&quot; she pointed out. </p><p>Following <em>Spider-Man: Brand New Day</em>, Sadie is set to star as Jean Grey in the upcoming <em>X-Men </em>reboot.</p>