Sadie Sink is having a big week thanks to her moving performance as Max in Stranger Things (and her character’s dramatic ending in season 4, of course). But before she was Maxine Mayfield, Sadie played another iconic redhead: the titular Annie on Broadway. And fans are digging up old clips and playbills as proof.
Sadie took on the starring role in Annie in 2013, belting out songs like “You’re Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile” and “It’s the Hard Knock Life” when she was just 11 years old. Here’s Sadie with the cast of Annie that year:

Luckily, there are also videos from her performances, which are currently making the rounds on TikTok. In one, Sadie embodies Annie’s lovable charm with a rendition of “Tomorrow,” and in another, you can see her at various points in the production.

Coincidentally, her Broadway career was also when she first met and bonded with Caleb McLaughlin, who would go on to be her costar and frequent scene partner. “We used to see each other in Times Square at this park that all these Broadway kids used to go to,” he told Variety earlier this week. “Max and Lucas, they started off as friends, so their relationship is very genuine, and you can see that this season. They’re really there for each other. I feel that because of Sadie and I’s friendship, it’s easy to just have that same type of relationship on the show.”

Sadie almost didn’t land the Stranger Things role, however, because they thought she was too old. It turned out to be a non-issue. “I was just like ‘no, give me more material, I wanna go in again,’” Sadie told Teen Vogue in a recent video. “And I got there and we were all the same height, the same age, we had nothing to worry about.”

And thank goodness for that, since we can’t imagine a more perfect fit for Max. Here’s hoping she recovers in season 5 to wrap up the series!

just found out I saw annie when sadie sink was in it. I still have the playbill this is kinda crazy pic.twitter.com/HvpPQ1u2Hm

— alex (taylor’s version) (@swiftietoddler) July 7, 2022

sadie – annie on broadway
gaten – les mis on broadway
caleb – the lion king on broadway
gabby – fun home on broadwway

IM NOT SAYING A MUSICAL EPISODE, but can they all sing something together please, so much talent in one place

— cj 😀 (@cjlol_xx) July 6, 2022