Sadie Sink Filmed ‘All Too Well’ Fight Scene in One Take

Sadie Sink reflects on her unique experience working on Taylor Swift’s “All Too Well: The Short Film.”

In a recent interview with Bustle, the 22-year-old “Stranger Things” actress shared her memories from filming the 2021 music video, revealing that the unforgettable kitchen fight scene with Dylan O’Brien was shot in just one take. Both actors were surprised to learn that their spontaneous dialogue ended up in the final cut.

When Swift’s team approached her to star in the short film, Sink was initially astonished. “It was wildly confusing at first, because I never thought of myself as someone who would even reach her desk,” she admitted. “But I grew up on her music and was such a fan.”

“She’s been such a huge part of my life,” Sink mentioned about Swift. “If a song of hers reminded me of a character, I would use it to get into a role. She had always been a little voice in my head, so it was super surreal…It was amazing that she recognized that in me somehow, that I would understand the song, the message, the story she was trying to tell.”

The short film, directed by Swift, is set to “All Too Well (10 Minute Version),” an extended take on the beloved track from her 2012 album, Red. It recounts a romantic relationship that culminates in a tough breakup.

After filming “All Too Well,” Sink, who is also starring in the new thriller “A Sacrifice,” was apprehensive about watching the finished product. She was mainly concerned because she hadn’t expected the kitchen fight scene with O’Brien to be included.

“When [Swift] told me she kept that scene, I was like, ‘What are you talking about?’ It was completely on the fly; I don’t remember anything I said; we only did one take,” Sink recalled.

“I remember they attached microphones to us, and I was like, ‘Why are they making us wear a mic?’ I thought they were just capturing our mouths moving and we were going to visualize a fight in the kitchen [with music playing over it],” she continued. “I just went with whatever came up in the moment. It was a crazy, fun acting game, and it happened to be in the final cut.”

Ultimately, Sink felt that Swift’s choice to include the scene made it “so cool and realistic” because real fights in relationships are “not supposed to be completely well thought-out.”

“You may say the same thing over and over, but that’s real, and that’s natural. You don’t see a lot of natural dialogue in films,” she explained. “So for her to allow us the space to improvise and interact in a way that we would if we were actually having a fight with our partner, just really served the song and the story well.”

In December 2022, Swift wrote a heartfelt piece honoring Sink and her talents for Entertainment Weekly, reflecting on the kitchen fight scene.

“When she went head-to-head with Dylan O’Brien in an explosive argument scene, I decided to shoot the rehearsal on a whim,” said Swift at the time. “Good thing, because Sadie lit up that kitchen fight with ad-libbed lines, improvised twists and turns, and all with riveting nuance.”

The Grammy winner added, “The rehearsal is what ended up in the film, a one-shot battle that I didn’t have the nerve to cut down in the edit. Because EVERYTHING was captivating.”

Source: Bustle, Entertainment Weekly