My biggest regret: Not stepping up the time I saw Sadie Sink

Photo by Anjali Pai

During the first week of August last year, I took a trip to New York City. As I stood in line at a French bistro called Buvette, I experienced what has become one of the biggest regrets of my life. This moment has lived in my mind rent free for the last five months and it’s safe to say that it will probably continue to do so for the rest of my life. 

While I was waiting in line, I caught a glimpse of an oddly familiar face. Deep in conversation with two friends, a fairly tall brunette crossed the street and stood behind me in line. 

The girl, with brown hair and deep blue eyes, looked almost identical to a girl I used to do gymnastics with. But with the mask covering half of her face, it was hard to tell who she was. 

I took another quick glance at the chattering group of girls. This time, however, I noticed another familiar face: a girl with long red hair and bright blue eyes. 

Instantly, my mind conjured up the image of a character from the popular Netflix show “Stranger Things.” I envisioned a tomboy with freckles, blue eyes and red hair. She was dressed in vibrant ‘80s fashion as she cruised down the street on her skateboard. 

“Max Mayfield!” I thought to myself.

Upon realizing that Sadie Sink, the “Stranger Things” actress who played this iconic role, was standing right behind me, I was in shock.

A flurry of emotions overwhelmed my mind and I contemplated whether or not to say “hi” and get a picture. My tendency to overthink had me anxiously imagining all of the ways this encounter could go wrong. 

How would I approach her? Do I ask, “Are you Sadie Sink?” and then ask for a picture? What if I’m too awkward? What if she just wanted to have a peaceful day out with her friends without an annoying fan asking for a picture? 

My overbearing shyness and the fear of ruining her day out with her friends cost me this rare opportunity.

As I spent about 10 minutes deep in thought about whether or not to get a picture with her, my family and I were called into the bistro to have a seat at our table.

This once in a lifetime opportunity was officially lost. 

Later, after shamelessly stalking Sink’s Instagram account and finding a post of the three girls eating dinner after the “Free Guy” movie premiere, I found out that the girl who I initially thought looked familiar was none other than Sophie Levy, and the third girl in the group was Tess Levy. Both are actresses and daughters of the “Stranger Things” director, Shawn Levy.

Looking back on the incident, I strongly wish I had not been so shy because an opportunity like this is so rare and I will likely never have the chance to meet Sink ever again. 

The next time I see a celebrity, I am determined not to let my shyness get in the way of meeting them. Even if I happen to do something awkward or embarrassing, it’s unlikely that the celebrity will remember it anyway. So, if I ever get the chance to meet Sink or any other celebrity again, I’ll just have to bite the bullet and say ‘hi’ — after all, they’ve probably seen stranger things.