Interview: Sadie Sink on Her Powerhouse Performance in ‘The Whale’
Monday, December 19, 2022 at 1:00PM 
Despite early buzz from fall festivals, The Whale has not turned out to be a slam-dunk awards season player. After being shut out by the Independent Spirit Awards, star Brendan Fraser has earned nominations from most other awards bodies, with supporting actress Hong Chau and playwright/screenwriter Samuel D. Hunter also picking up bids along the way. There are those who say that the film and Fraser’s performance are manipulative and highly overrated, but I’m firmly in the opposite camp; I think The Whale is the best film of 2022.
Fraser and Chau aren’t the only ones who turn in tremendous performances. As Ellie, the daughter of Fraser’s Charlie, Sadie Sink bursts in with anger to confront a father who has never been there for her but, at this moment, seems deeply interested in her happiness. Sink was already the best thing about season four of Stranger Things, and it’s wonderful to see her deliver so well in a role like this...
In our conversation, we discussed working with Fraser, who she didn’t grow up with and whose films she had never seen, director Darren Aronofsky, and other ensemble players like Chau and Samantha Morton. I truly believe that Sink deserves to be in the Oscar conversation along with this film. Watch the full interview below:
The Whale expands to theaters nationwide this Wednesday.
Reader Comments (2)
I really like her in Stranger Things but to me, she is not good in The Whale.
It's a one note performance and I think the blame can be placed on the script and Aronofsky's direction. The movie is a mess IMO.
I hope she will impress me more in her future movie roles.
Fraser and Chau are fine, but the movie itself is so vile -- a "step right up and see the freak!" sideshow pretending to be a compassionate character study -- that I would be reluctant to reward or honor anyone for their involvement in it.