-Our next guest is a talented actress
you know from her work on "Stranger Things"
and Taylor Swift's "All Too Well."
She stars in "The Whale," which is in theaters now.
Let's take a look.
-You can just be angry at me.
-Okay. You know what?
You can't throw me away like I'm a piece of garbage
and then suddenly just want to be my dad eight years later.
You left me for your boyfriend.
It's that simple.
And if you've been telling yourself anything different,
then you're lying to yourself.
But you know what? I'm glad. I'm --
I'm glad, because you taught me something very important.
People are ass[bleep]
Most people learn that way too late.
You -- You taught me that when I was 8.
-Please welcome to the show Sadie Sink, everybody!
[ Cheers and applause ]
♪♪
Hi! I'm so happy you're here.
-Thank you for having me.
-Congratulations on this film.
It's receiving tons of accolades and a lot of nominations.
It also seems like such an intensely hard film
to be an actor in.
Was it brutal to sort of find connection
to somebody who is so hurt and so angry?
-I mean, yeah, I guess at first.
We had a three-week rehearsal period, though.
So we kind of all took that time
to just really dig deeper into these characters.
And I don't know. They're very complex.
-They're very complex.
-Just to find the anger was important.
-Brendan Fraser is very complex in this film
but in real life is one of the sweetest people in the world.
Were you familiar with Brendan outside this film
before you started working on it?
-No, I wasn't.
I hadn't seen a single one of his films.
[ Laughter ]
I know, but I just knew him as this character,
which was pretty cool, but then afterwards, I was like,
"Okay, I have to watch one of his movies."
So that's been really crazy,
'cause I had no idea he was a very comedic actor.
It was shocking. -Yeah, no.
It's crazy to think that when they were casting this movie,
they thought, "We should get George of the Jungle."
-Yeah. [ Laughter ]
But it works. -But he is.
He is the funniest, sweetest guy.
-Mm-hmm. -So you got your start
as a very young actor on Broadway.
You were Annie.
How old when you were doing "Annie"?
-10, I think.
-Okay. -Yeah.
-There you are as Annie. -Yes, there's Annie.
-I think that's it right there, yeah.
And this is pretty cool.
You were in "The Audience" with Helen Mirren.
You played a young Helen Mirren.
-Yes. Yeah.
-That's fantastic. -Uh-huh.
-So how old were you in this one?
-12, I think, just turned 13 or something.
-So you do these huge things, and then when it's over,
you just go back to being --
-A kid, yeah. -Yeah.
How is it to go from Broadway
and I'm sure what is a real adrenaline rush
and then going back to just being a kid?
-Honestly, I was more nervous to, like, go to school
than I was to be onstage.
But, yeah, after I finished that show,
I had nothing else lined up.
So I was like, "Okay, it's time to go back to school."
And I was homeschooled from, like, ages 9 to 13.
And, like, the curriculum was just very loose.
[ Laughter ]
-This is sort of the Broadway -- necessity of Broadway.
-It was like belting 101 and, like, how to do a time step.
Like, that was pretty much it.
But then, yeah, when I was 13, it was time to go to school.
And, yeah -- And so I did it. -You did it.
And ultimately, it's so funny to think, like --
Going to high school, it's like,
"Look, it's a lot harder than Broadway."
-Yeah. Honestly, yeah.
I think it was nice to just be around kids my age, though.
-Yeah. -Yeah.
-Now, it is true that --
Speaking about being around kids your age,
is it true that the Broadway kids that are sort of younger,
there's one playground you all would go and hang out at?
-Yes.
-So when would you go to the Broadway playground?
And was everybody -- was it like ♪ The swings, the swings ♪
-Yes. Yes.
It was like on two-show days, everyone would just go.
All the moms would just bring their kids to this park
on, like, 43rd and 8th, I think. -Okay.
-But it didn't look like a normal playground.
There was always some kind of musical number happening.
Or, like, they were teaching the choreography to each other,
and there was cliques.
Like, the "Matilda" kids were always, like,
much cooler than everybody else.
Yeah, and then, like, if a kid would start screaming
or something, like, yelling and playing, a mom would be like,
"No, honey, rest your voice. You have a show at 8:00."
-Now, your parents are educators.
Both of them. -Yes. Yes.
-Was that helpful?
I mean, again, you obviously
had a very unconventional upbringing.
But it must have been helpful to have parents who were teachers.
-Oh, totally. My dad is a math teacher.
And that really came in handy.
When I was 13 going back to school,
I had to take a math placement test.
So then my dad, like, sat me down in one week, and he's like,
"Alright, I'm going to teach you everything you need to know."
And then I went in on Monday and I tested average.
-Oh, wow. -Yes.
I did it. [ Applause ]
-Yeah, for a normal kid, you're average at math.
For a Broadway kid, exceptional.
-Yes.
-Now, "Stranger Things," I have to ask about "Stranger Things."
It must be so cool to be in a show like that
that so many people watch.
But I'm wondering, do you feel the pressure with that
of friends and family who are desperate
to know what's going to happen in the show before it airs?
-Oh, yeah, I mean, I'm bad
and I'll just give my family the scripts.
-Oh, wow. -Yeah.
-So you don't play by the
"everything needs to be embargoed."
-Just, you know, like, my brothers,
if they want to read it, I'll let them.
I think that's okay. -Yeah.
-They don't tell anyone,
but, yeah, they're big fans of the show.
-It's funny.
Would you want to know in advance
if you were a fan of a show they were in,
or would you want to wait until you saw it on-screen?
-I mean, if you have access to the scripts...
-You want to get your hands on the script.
Well, thank you for your honesty.
I really appreciate it. [ Laughter ]
You -- There's five of you, right, siblings?
-Yeah.
-And so where are you on the pecking order?
-I'm number four. -Okay, got you.
-And I have a little sister.
-And your little sister
played a younger version of you in "The Whale."
-Yes. -So how did this come about?
Here you are with her. -Uh-huh.
-I mean, I guess it seemed like natural casting when they --
-I mean, she's a mini me. But --
-Did they ask you before they had casting?
Were they like, "Do you have a smaller one of you at home?"
-Yes. I was like, "Yes, yes, I do.
What time do you need us?"
Yeah, so Darren had added -- the director,
he added this flashback sequence where they're at a beach
and they needed an 8-year-old version of me.
So they asked for Jacey.
And then, yeah -- and then we did it.
And she still hasn't seen it yet.
-Got you. Did Jacey, sort of negotiation-wise,
hold them over a barrel 'cause she had them?
Was she like, "Now that you've asked,
I'm the only one that looks like her"?
-No, she had a lot of fun.
She was little petty
because my entire family went to the premiere
and it's, like, too mature for her, so she stayed at home.
And she's like, "Have fun at my movie, guys.
Thanks a lot."
[ Laughter ]
-That is -- I mean, what I wouldn't have given as a kid
to be like, "Have fun at my premiere."
-Uh-huh. [ Laughter ]
-You were also in --
I will admit that I did not --
I certainly did not remember that this was you.
"The Americans" is a show I loved a great deal.
Was this your first on-screen?
-Yes. That was my first time on a film.
-And there you are with a shotgun.
-So scared. I have no clue what I'm doing.
-So -- [ Laughs ]
And I'm assuming based on the age you are in this photo,
you probably weren't a huge fan of "The Americans."
-No, no, I honestly had no idea where I was or what I was doing.
And then I didn't know what the term "rolling" meant.
Nobody told me. So I was kind of clueless.
But yeah, that was my debut.
-That breaks my heart that you were kind of clueless.
They were just like, "Give that kid a gun."
-Exactly. [ Laughter ]
-"We want her to look scared.
So let's tell her as little as possible.
Just put the gun in her hand."
I would imagine working on something like "Stranger Things"
and working on "The Whale" very different experiences on set.
Especially just because, again, on "Stranger Things,"
you are surrounded by other actors your age.
-Oh, totally, other actors my age,
but then also, like, men in green suits
and tennis balls on sticks and stuff.
So you get really used to working with that.
-Yeah, I feel like not enough credit is given
to people who act with tennis balls on sticks.
-It's hard. -It really is hard.
I was once on set of a movie
where a very famous actor was doing a scene
with a tennis ball and a stick that would later be a monster.
And I was just watching it and I was thinking,
"I shouldn't be here, because this is --"
-You feel ridiculous. -Of course, yeah.
-What am I -- What am I doing? What are we doing?
But it looks good in the end, I guess.
[ Laughter ]
-It does look good in the end.
You don't have to guess. It looks good in the end.
But I want you to know,
'cause when I watch a show like "Stranger Things,"
I'm even more impressed now
because I know these creatures aren't there.
That is like a Wilson tennis ball on a stick
and there's a dude, like, doing this.
-Yeah. Exactly, exactly.
-And I just have a great appreciation
for what you're all doing.
-Oh, thank you.
-Tell me, also, you, of course, were in the Taylor Swift video.
It feels more like a video than --
Calling it a video seems a little reductive.
What was that like?
Was that a situation where you auditioned,
or did you get a phone call?
How did it come to be?
-Yeah, I mean, I was a fan of hers before.
And then her --
-Brendan Fraser should be so lucky.
[ Laughter ]
-That would be great if you were like,
"I had never heard of her, much like Brendan Fraser,
but I went back and I listened to her songs,
and she is very good." -I'm like, "Wow, yeah,
she's good."
But I did know Taylor Swift.
And then her team reached out,
and I guess she had me in mind for this video.
So, you know, I said yes, of course.
And yeah.
-Was that -- I mean, of all the things
that you have been able to tell people, oh, you know,
your friends or your family, "Hey, I'm about to do this,
I'm about to do that," was that the trippiest?
-Yes, because you would never think
that our paths would really cross,
like, someone being in the music industry
and then in the film industry.
Like, it just never -- two different worlds.
So it was kind of like a bizarre mash-up.
But everyone was very excited.
-Well, she chose very well,
as has everybody that has been lucky enough to work with you.
It is so lovely to have you here.
Thanks so much for making the time.
Sadie Sink, everybody.
"The Whale" is in theaters now.
We'll be right back with more "Late Night."