Sadie Sink Can Handle Anything—as Long as She’s Comfy

Calvin Klein’s latest denim ad puts the jean in Jean Grey. Or, rather, puts Jean Grey in jeans. Either way, the second chapter of Calvin Klein’s “Feel the Fit” campaign places Sadie Sink front and center, and she has more than proven she can handle the spotlight.

The newly announced X-Men, who debuted as Jean Grey in this summer’s Spider-Man: Brand New Day, is ditching her face-obscuring hoodie for a perfectly fitted pair of jeans. Sink stares down the camera in her snug denim. The images are sultry, in classic CK fashion, but imbued with strength. “Feel the Fit” is all about the confidence one has in oneself, heightened only by a fit that feels right. And just like Sink has proven she’s the right fit for Jean Grey, she’s also the right fit for the campaign: stylish and inspiring, unwavering in herself.

At just 24, Sink already has a lifetime of red carpet experience, and she has learned it’s not always about “making a splash.”

“I just want to feel like myself,” she says of dressing for an event. “These things can be so overwhelming, so as long as I feel like myself in whatever I’m wearing, I will feel confident, and that’s the priority.”

Below, the 24-year-old actor reveals the clothing that makes her feel the most confident, the jeans she suspects are in Jean’s closet, and how age has made her a romantic (dresser, at least).

The Calvin Klein campaign is all about the confidence that comes with the right fit. In what outfit do you feel most confident?

It depends. In my day-to-day life, I tend to wear things that are more comfortable and loose. But it feels good to dress up a bit for a red carpet or press appearance and wear something that is more fitted or feels more put together.

Do you feel like yourself when you’re done up to the nines?

I do, but I feel like a very specific version of myself. I think I can feel authentically myself either way.

Is there an outfit within the campaign you love most?

The dark indigo, denim-on-denim look. That was my favorite because there was something really tough about it, but it also felt flattering and fitted.

Speaking of fit, why do you think you were a good fit for this campaign?

I’m not really sure. I was so flattered when they asked me to do it because [Calvin Klein] is such an iconic brand. There’s this young, fresh energy they’re bringing to this campaign. It’s about feeling yourself in the clothes you wear. I don’t know what it is about me that reads that way, but I’m happy to do it.

What style jeans are you wearing in your day-to-day life?

The thing I love about denim is that you can be comfortable in a looser fit, but still feel like you got dressed for the day. Recently, I’ve been leaning towards a more fitted look. I love a baggy jean, don’t get me wrong, but that was all I wore for a long time. When your clothes fit right, you feel more in your body, so that’s what I’ve been favoring.

How fitted are we talking? Skinny?

Nothing crazy, but just something that’s not hanging off of me. It’s nice to wear a pair of jeans where you’re like, “These are very flattering.”

It has been a big jean summer for you, between this campaign and your appearance as the new Jean Grey in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Now that you’ve gotten to know the character, what style of jeans do you think Jean would wear?

I don’t know if she would wear a super baggy jean—she would have something more fitted that makes her feel really powerful. But no matter what, it would have to have a little bit of stretch in it, because she’s got business to do.

Entering a franchise like X-Men can, I’m sure, be very intimidating. When you are embarking on one of these new chapters for work, how do you maintain confidence? How do you step into one of those rooms and not succumb to imposter syndrome?

As long as I am focused on what it is that I do and the actual character work of it, the noise surrounding it feels less overwhelming. It can still be a lot at times, but a character as amazing as [Jean] feels like the anchor. I’m so excited to be spending more time with her. It’s about not getting distracted and staying committed to what I signed up for.

You have played a lot of great characters over the years. Are there any that have shaped your style at all?

Yes. I think less so on Stranger Things. That was ’80s so, for the most part, I wasn’t wanting to take any of Max’s clothes home. Although in season two, she had some cool, sportier looks. I just remember the jeans in season two had no stretch. They were really stiff, starchy jeans. All of us were like, “Oh, my God,” putting those jeans on at 6:00 AM.

Recently, in Romeo & Juliet, which I did on the West End, I wore some really beautiful, more feminine colors and styles. In my own life, I don’t really dress that way. But after doing that project, I found myself shopping and being like, “I’m wearing a lot of whites and florals and skirts.”

In general, do you dress romantically, à la Juliet, or more of a tomboy like Jean?

I’m somewhere in the middle. I can go either way. There have been periods of my life where I was like, “I just want to cover up my entire body and be in suits and baggy things.” Maybe it comes with maturing, but now I’m like, “Oh, I like wearing more dresses and touching into my more feminine side.” So that’s where I am right now, but it’s ever-evolving.

But you never got inspired to wear pilgrim dresses after starring in John Proctor Is the Villain?

You know what? No, I didn’t. Although at the time, I was in a witchy era. For my mood boards for press, I was like, “I want dark, more Gothic looks.” But yeah, no pilgrim outfits.