Tony First-Timers: For Sadie Sink, John Proctor is the Villain Is a 'Breath of Fresh Air'

"I contain frickin' multitudes."

The line, said by Sadie Sink as Shelby Holcomb in Kimberly Belflower's Tony-nominated John Proctor is the Villain, is also the perfect summation of the first-time Tony nominee herself. After making her Broadway debut at 10 years old in Annie, Sink went on to appear alongside Helen Mirren in The Audience at 13. The following year, she landed the role of Max Mayfield in the sci-fic Netflix hit Stranger Things, cementing her place as a household name. Ten years and four seasons of Stranger Things later, Sink is back on Broadway happily showing off the multitudes she contains.

Coming back to the stage after spending her teen years in front of a camera was top of mind for Sink, who patiently waited for the right script to set up her return. “Broadway has always been where the best actors are; vocal and acting athletes,” she says to Broadway.com Editor-in-Chief Paul Wontorek. “I did it when I was little, but that’s a very different experience than returning to it as an adult. So I always wanted to [come back], but it was a matter of what am I going to do? [John Proctor is a Villain] was just the perfect thing."

As Shelby Holcomb, Sink makes her arrival about 30 minutes into the play, which follows a group of high schoolers coming to terms with newfound realizations while reading The Crucible. Sink’s performance, under the direction of Danya Taymor, is layered with vulnerability and an honest depiction of girlhood. “I think it feels like a breath of fresh air for Broadway honestly,” Sink says of John Proctor is the Villain. “It’s bringing in a new kind of younger story with younger actors by an incredible new American playwright, Kimberly Belflower. I hadn’t really seen anything like it on Broadway before, and so being able to get the right people involved and bring it to life and have it be received in such a positive way is such a win."

With a resume full of sci-fi thrillers, slasher films and dramas, Sink specifically seeks out roles that differ from her own personality. “Because I’m a pretty happy person, I’ve always been drawn to roles that carry a lot of darkness, or trauma,” she says. “I think that such a beautiful part of humanity is how we wear our scars and John Proctor is the Villain and Shelby is no exception to that."

Having made her acting debut in a local production of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, in which her only line was cut, Sink can’t quite believe she’s now joining the ranks of some of her favorite actors as a Tony nominee. “I’m a really annoying theater nerd,” she says. “I get to be around the people I’ve watched my whole life. Obviously, you get that in film and TV too, but this is something even more special I feel. Meeting Megan Hilty the other day was amazing, because she was my favorite Glinda [in Wicked]. Mitchell and I, my brother, would watch her bootleg all the time on YouTube."

As for what’s next? Sink is ready for more. “If Broadway will have me, I will absolutely be back,” she says. “I’ve connected more to myself as an actor through this than on anything else. It is a strenuous process and really pushes you to uncomfortable places. Now on the other end of it, I’m so, so grateful that I had this time with Danya and Kimberly and the rest of this cast. I’ll be back to learn more soon I hope."

GET TO KNOW THE TONY FIRST-TIMERS
Left to Right: SADIE SINK (John Proctor is the Villain) | JUSTINA MACHADO (Real Women Have Curves) | DARREN CRISS (Maybe Happy Ending) | CONRAD RICAMORA (Oh, Mary!) | NICOLE SCHERZINGER (Sunset Boulevard) | JEB BROWN (Dead Outlaw)

Watch the June 4 episode of The Broadway Show with Tamsen Fadal, highlighting all six of our first-time Tony nominees, and flip through the complete gallery of photos from our exclusive Broadway.com photo shoot.

The Broadway Show Credits: Directed by Zack R. Smith | Producers: Paul Wontorek and Beth Stevens | Senior Producers: Caitlin Moynihan and Lindsey Sullivan | Videographers: Eddie Lebron, Nick Shakra, and Ryan Windess
Photo Credits: Photography by Emilio Madrid | Photo Assistants: Eric Hodgman, Farley Schilling and Leandra Worth | Location: Corner Studio
Styling Credits: Styling: Emma Pritchard  | Styling Assistant: Rina Andreatta | Dress: Meilleur Moment | Rings: Alex Monroe