Daijiworld Media Network - New York

New York, Aug 9: Actress Sadie Sink, who rose to global fame with the hit series ‘Stranger Things’, is set to take on a major role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, portraying Jean Grey in the upcoming X-Men franchise.

Sink will make her MCU debut in ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ and is expected to reprise the role of Jean Grey in future X-Men projects. Speaking to Variety, the actress opened up about taking on the iconic character and the experience of joining the franchise.

“Honestly, it was amazing!” Sink said, while recalling how details about Jean Grey's appearance in the film were kept secret. She said musician Steve Lacy inadvertently revealed the character's involvement near the end of the secrecy surrounding the project.

“I was like, ‘Ah!’ He kind of set me free in a lot of ways. And I’m such a big fan of his,” she said.

Sink also revealed that she was unfamiliar with Jean Grey and the X-Men franchise before being cast. Although rumours about her playing the character had circulated online for years, she said she had never watched ‘X-Men’ and knew very little about the character.

“Honestly, I knew nothing about her. People had started rumours 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,” she said.

Sink said Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige contacted her directly about the role. According to the actress, Feige and the team arranged a meeting and explained Jean Grey's character and her role in ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’.

She then researched the character and quickly became convinced that the role was right for her.

“I was like, ‘Oh yeah, this is a no-brainer!’ 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 said.

The actress also spoke about what attracted her to Jean Grey and how she plans to approach the character. Sink said she wanted to give Jean a strong backstory, with particular focus on her relationship with her sister.

“She’s very flawed. You’re meeting her at a strange point, because I don’t think she is someone who wants to harm, but she herself has been harmed, so that’s all she knows,” she said.

Sink added that giving Jean a backstory and a clear motivation for her actions would be an important part of her portrayal.

The actress also revealed that the Duffer Brothers, creators of ‘Stranger Things’, were among the first people to know about her casting. She was offered the role while she was still working with them on the Netflix series.

Sink said the Duffer Brothers encouraged and supported her and assured her that she would do a great job in the role.

While major details about the upcoming X-Men film remain under wraps, Sink has been confirmed to return as Jean Grey alongside a new group of mutants. Her role in ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ is expected to mark the beginning of her journey as one of Marvel's most prominent characters.