Sadie Sink Breaks Silence on Jean Grey Role and Confirms an Upcoming MCU Appearance
For months, there were rumors that Sadie Sink had been cast as the X-Men’s Jean Grey in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. It was reminiscent of the build-up to No Way Home, where everybody knew Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield were in the film, no matter how many times Garfield in particular denied it. But, in truth, you didn’t need a sense of surprise for the scene to land; Sadie Sink’s Jean Grey was a powerhouse, and her official MCU debut is perfect X-Men setup. Brand New Day ends with Jean headed upstate, potentially to the X-Men base of Westchester.
Sink has kept the “secret” for months, but now has finally spoken up in an interview with Variety. According to Sink, she knew nothing about Jean until she met with Marvel’s Kevin [Feige] and Louis [D’Esposito]. “Then I did more research on her, and I was like, ‘Oh yeah, this is a no-brainer!’ She’s such an iconic figure in X-Men and in comics, and I’m very excited to bring my iteration of her to life.” Now, she’s thrilled to continue the ride, and has had early meetings with X-Men director Jake Schreier about continuing Jean’s story.
“It’s been really exciting all the conversations we’ve had, and I feel really lucky that I have this introduction through “Spider-Man” and [her] backstory. I think that’s what X-Men is all about, too. The more I’ve gotten into it and researched, what makes them special is that they are all incredibly flawed and maybe have done bad things. That makes them more compelling, complex characters and a more complex hero if they don’t start out that way. And they have to find their relationship to their powers. Because it’s not like they’ve asked for this or that these strengths make their lives easier; they make them a lot harder, actually. So, knowing Jean’s struggle will be important in the future of her character and where she goes, just makes her really well-rounded, which I’m excited for.”
The MCU’s Jean Grey Fits Perfectly With the Mutant Themes
Sink may not have been familiar with the X-Men until her meeting with Marvel bosses, but she quickly adapted to the secretive world of the MCU. “My family knew and everything,” she recalled, but other than that she only told the Duffer brothers. “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,” she said. “And they were so excited.” Amusingly, none of Sink’s fellow Stranger Things stars were kept in the loop.
Sink is delighted with Marvel and Sony’s approach, which gave Jean Grey a new origin story. “Giving [Jean] a backstory is really important,” she says. “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.” The key point is that, while Jean is doing villainous things, she’s actually lashing out from a place of pain. “I don’t really want to lean into, like this bad guy aura,” Sink stresses. “Because in her brain it’s totally justified. Which I mean, I agree. I think it is.”
According to Sink, she was only on set for about 20 days. That makes sense, because Jean Grey is really relegated to the third act; for the bulk of the film, viewers see Jean acting through the bodies of others. “Tom and I did rehearsals, and then we had a full day where we shot every single scene where I’m talking through someone else… as a reference to send to all of the actors who had a line,” Sink says. “It was cool; you can kind of see how people are like carrying it or mimicking me in certain ways — Zendaya, especially. I hadn’t seen her scene until I watched it for the first time, and it’s so cool to see that.”
She certainly understands the X-Men. In the comics, the X-Men are often treated more as a superhero soap opera than your typical Avengers group; relationships between heroes are complex (and those between heroes and villains are even more nuanced). The idea of “mutants” basically means super-powers can develop for anyone, and most X-Men members started out emotionally ill-equipped for the phenomenal power they wield. Cyclops wound up manipulated by a crook, Wolverine became a living weapon, while Storm was worshiped as a goddess. It’s not unusual to see X-Men villains join the team (Juggernaut, Professor X’s “evil” stepbrother, is currently one of Cyclops’ heavy-hitters).
Jean Grey has always had her dark side. This is the character most famous for going full “Dark Phoenix,” literally consuming an inhabited star-system. We don’t really expect to see anything like that anytime soon – not least because Fox adapted that plot twice for the big screen already – but Jean should always have an edge. The MCU’s Jean started out as an antagonist (albeit “not actually the villain,” Sink insists). Brand New Day shows just how dangerous psychic powers can be, as Jean robs others of agency and ultimately holds a vast part of Manhattan in her telepathic and telekinetic grip. It’s thrilling to imagine that power, and that complexity, in the MCU’s X-Men team.
