SPOILER ALERT: This story contains spoilers from Season 4, Vol. 1 of “Stranger Things,” currently streaming on Netflix.

Sadie Sink’s Max really goes through it in Season 4 of “Stranger Things.” After losing her brother, Billy (Dacre Montgomery), in the finale of Season 3, the newest season starts with her being torn apart by guilt about what happened.

“She’s just asking herself all of these questions, and putting the blame on herself,” Sink tells Variety. “It’s not necessarily because she’s mourning the loss of their relationship, but more just convincing herself that, somehow, she’s to blame for all the awful things that happen in her life — and the domino effect that Billy’s death had on her family and everyone around her.”

On top of all of that, Max’s best friend, Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), has left town; she’s broken up with her boyfriend, Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin); and she’s having visions of an actual monster.

Here, Sink — now 20 — talks about how she got into the headspace of the season, shares her thoughts about what’s in those emotional letters Max wrote to her friends, and reveals whether we’ll see more of Max’s mom.

When the season began, Max wasn’t in a good place. How did you tap into the darkness she was going through?

I’ve been with this character for the most formative years of my life. So I really know her very well at this point. But we never get to tap into this kind of vulnerability on the show that often, because it’s so fast-paced that there’s so much happening. So having a storyline that taps into some of her more emotional sides and showcases some vulnerability — which we don’t really get to see in the previous seasons — that was super exciting. In terms of preparation, so much of the season had to do with internal thoughts, and the thoughts that eat away at you. You don’t share with anyone.
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