'Stranger Things' Creators and Star React to Kiss Controversy

The Duffer Brothers were the target of a controversy when it sounded like they forced one of their stars to kiss another.

The cast of 'Stranger Things 2'
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Image via Getty/Astrid Stawiarz

The cast of 'Stranger Things 2'

Stranger Things 2 stirred up some controversy recently when Sadie Sink, who plays Max, and the Duffer Brothers discussed a certain kiss that happens at the end of the series on Beyond Stranger Things, the behind-the-scenes companion series to the show. (By the way, just in case you haven’t watched Stranger Things 2 to the very end, there are spoilers ahead.)

During an episode of Beyond Stranger Things, Sink and the Duffer Brothers discuss how the kiss between her character, Max, and Lucas came about. Fans became angry at the discrepancy between how Sink said she felt about the kiss and how the Duffer brothers spoke about how that kiss came about. Apparently, it wasn’t scripted, and Sink became so “freaked out” when Ross Duffer joked that she’d have to kiss someone that day that he then forced her to do it.

But now both Sink and the Duffer Brothers have revisited the subject and both of them are making the whole thing sound a lot less murky.

Sink herself spoke on the same subject to The Wrap, but sounded much more relaxed about the whole ordeal. 

“I mean, of course I was nervous because it’s a first kiss, right?” Sink said. “I never objected to [it] or felt pushed into anything.”

“I always felt comfortable and the Duffer Brothers, they do the best job, and always create a comfortable space.” the young actress continued. “And if I felt uncomfortable with anything, I wouldn’t have done it.”

The interviewer did then ask if she had been told to say that, but an awkward silence filled the room and Sink’s publicist stepped in, asking to move the interview along.

The Duffers themselves also made light of the situation at a recent talk at Chapman University. According to Polygon, when asked about the kiss, the two responded:

Matt: We’re just teasing them. No, they all love it.

The big concern was whether the adult showrunners were forcing a young 13-year-old to have her first kiss onscreen when she didn’t feel comfortable doing so. It’s a valid concern, and especially with the growing numbers of allegations of sexual harassment and abuse in Hollywood. But hopefully everything is just a misunderstanding and all of the kids involved in Stranger Things grow up in healthy ways.

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