Chase Infiniti’s Journey from Rising Talent to Leading Lady in ‘One Battle After Another’
Chase Infiniti, a rising star from Indianapolis, has made impressive strides in her acting career over the past two years. At just 25 years old, she has shared the screen with industry icons such as Ruth Negga and Jake Gyllenhaal in Apple TV+’s Presumed Innocent and starred in her first feature film, Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another, alongside notable actors including Leonardo DiCaprio, Benicio del Toro, Sean Penn, Regina Hall, and Teyana Taylor.
Reflecting on her rapid ascent, Infiniti remarked, “You couldn’t have told me three years ago that I would be where I am now, and getting the opportunity to be in the rooms or projects that I’m in with some of the most legendary people in the industry — it’s unbelievable.”
Infiniti credits her success to the unwavering support from her family and her childhood experiences in a “creative-forward household.” She often accompanied her parents and sister to theater productions, which ignited her passion for acting. “I never wanted to do anything else,” she shared, emphasizing how her parents instilled in her the importance of dedication and hard work.
Her journey into acting intensified during high school, where she immersed herself in choir and theater. She participated in Indianapolis’ Summer Stock Stage program, taking on leading roles in productions like Shrek the Musical and Pippin. After earning a degree in musical theater from Columbia College Chicago in 2021, Infiniti landed a role in Presumed Innocent, portraying the teenage daughter of Negga and Gyllenhaal. While working on that project, she discovered an audition for One Battle After Another, which she almost overlooked. Upon submitting a self-tape for the enigmatic role, she learned it could lead to callbacks and an intense four-day karate training class in Los Angeles, culminating in an offer from Anderson. “My brain could not compute how massive this project was,” Infiniti recalled, laughing at the unexpected turn her career had taken.
Chase Infiniti as Willa in ‘One Battle After Another.’
In her new film role, Infiniti plays Willa Ferguson, the fearless daughter of revolutionaries Bob Ferguson (DiCaprio) and Perfidia Beverly Hills (Taylor). Willa’s journey is marked by danger as she navigates threats from Colonel Lockjaw (Penn), who believes he may have fathered her. Infiniti expressed her connection to the character, stating, “Willa has no fear. I can relate to her stubbornness and resilience, but I don’t think I could handle what she goes through. Her strength is never-ending.”
A critical scene in the film features a confrontation between Willa and Lockjaw, who suspects her heritage due to a past liaison. Infiniti described the experience of working with Penn, saying, “It was so rewarding getting to work with Sean Penn. Paul, Sean, and I created this dance of how the DNA test scene would go. It became one of my favorite scenes.”
According to Infiniti, collaborating with DiCaprio also influenced her artistic development. He portrays Bob as a paranoid, drug-addicted father trying to raise a biracial daughter. “Leo taught me so much,” she said. “Watching the freedom he had with his character choices was wonderful.”
Infiniti in ‘One Battle After Another’
In preparation for her role, Infiniti drew on her experiences as a biracial woman and engaged in thoughtful discussions with Anderson, who has a biracial family. “Paul and I talked a lot about Willa being mixed race and about his life with his kids,” she noted, highlighting the relevance of her real-life experiences to her character’s journey.
With One Battle After Another now complete, Infiniti is poised for further opportunities, having recently been cast in the spin-off The Testaments from The Handmaid’s Tale and the coming-of-age film The Julia Set alongside Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs.
“Willa’s fearlessness is on a completely different level from mine,” she acknowledged, reflecting on her own growth through acting. “Every job teaches me something, and I can’t wait to keep being a student. The fearlessness with work comes from the urge to continue to learn.”
