Stranger Things star Sadie Sink has revealed that she listened to Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill” on repeat outside of filming the fourth season. Sink joined the Netflix series as Max Mayfield in the second season. The first volume of Stranger Things‘ penultimate season debuted on the streaming service on May 27th, 2022.
In Stranger Things season 4, Max is struggling to grapple with the events of Stranger Things season 3, slowly isolating herself from her friends following the loss of her brother, Billy (Dacre Montgomery). Targeted by the Vecna (Jamie Campbell-Blower) due to her trauma, Max almost becomes another victim of the creature when visiting Billy’s grave for a final farewell. However, thanks to Nancy Wheeler (Natalia Dyer) and Robin Buckley’s (Maya Hawke) investigation, Lucas Sinclair (Caleb McLaughlin), Dustin Henderson (Gaten Matarazzo), and Steve Harrington (Joe Keery) are able to help Max escape in a now, much referenced and meme-inspiring moment, where Max’s friends use Bush’s hit 1985 song “Running Up That Hill” to ground her back in reality. After the terrifying encounter, Max continues to listen to the song to keep her out of Vecna’s grasp, and Sink has revealed that she also listened to the track on repeat outside of filming.
In an interview with Vanity Fair, Sink was asked how she listened to the track when filming Max’s escape, as well as how she prepared for the scene. Sink revealed that not only was the song playing on set throughout filming but that she listened to the song on repeat in the background when she was at home outside of the production. The star explained that she did this in order to grasp how Max would feel when having to listen to the song on repeat. Check out Sink’s response below.
“I think on the day that we were filming the running sequence in episode four, we had the song playing. And I always would have it playing in my headphones. There was an actual cassette in the Walkman and I could listen to it if I wanted to, but I did do a whole day in my own time where I just was home and had it playing on in the background for the entire day, just to see if I would go insane, because that’s what Max was having to do. So I’m like, Oh, my God. Would you get sick of it? How is she doing this all day?”
Bush herself reacted to the song’s use in the Netflix series, releasing a statement on her website following the episode’s release. The singer stated that the song’s appearance in Stranger Things has introduced it to a new generation of listeners, giving it a new lease of life, as well as a revival in single charts due to renewed interest. Bush also revealed that she herself was a fan of the series, saying that she was anticipating volume two’s release on July 1st.
Stranger Things‘ usage of “Running Up That Hill” has created one of the show’s most iconic scenes to date that not only sees Max and her friend reconnect after their struggles, but also find a way to escape Vecna. The sequence also saw “Running Up That Hill” not only enjoy renewed interest, but also chart in a higher position than it did during its initial release in some territories. As such, viewers may be surprised to hear and appreciate Sinks’s dedication to fully understanding and relating to Max’s situation.
