Sadie Sink has revealed that years of online fan speculation were her first introduction to the iconic X-Men character. The Spider-Man: Brand New Day star admitted she knew very little about Jean Grey before Marvel approached her.
According to Variety, Sadie Sink said she had never watched any X-Men films before taking on the role of Jean Grey. Surprisingly, she only knew about Jean Grey because fans had spent years linking her to the iconic mutant online. She said, “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 ‘X-Men,’ so I was just unfamiliar,” Sink added.
The Stranger Things star did extensive research on the character through the comics and was very excited to bring the role to life. “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,” Sink told Variety.
How Sadie Sink steals the spotlight in Spider-Man: Brand New Day
While Sadie Sink doesn’t appear as herself for much of the movie, her character instead spends most of the runtime possessing other people’s bodies, switching from one to another while searching for her captive sister. In addition to possessing ordinary people, she also possesses Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk and Frank Castle’s Punisher.
Instead of showing her as an established superhero, the movie portrays her as a lonely young girl learning to use her telepathic powers. Producer Amy Pascal said the team picked Jean because her emotional struggles closely matched Peter Parker’s arc in the movie.
As Brand New Day became a massive hit at the global box office, fans are eager to know what comes next for Jean Grey. The 24-year-old actress confirmed she’s already had conversations with Jake Schreier, the director of the upcoming X-Men reboot in the MCU. However, Marvel has not officially confirmed her involvement beyond Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
