{"id":257410,"date":"2025-09-27T00:42:10","date_gmt":"2025-09-27T00:42:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/257410\/"},"modified":"2025-09-27T00:42:10","modified_gmt":"2025-09-27T00:42:10","slug":"chase-infiniti-on-working-with-leonardo-dicaprio-regina-hall-and-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/257410\/","title":{"rendered":"Chase Infiniti on Working with Leonardo DiCaprio. Regina Hall and More"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tChase Infiniti<\/a> is living the dream she never fully believed would come true.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe 24-year-old Indianapolis native makes her feature debut in Paul Thomas Anderson<\/a>\u2019s \u201cOne Battle After Another<\/a>,\u201d stepping into the role of Willa Ferguson, a teenager caught between family legacy and personal identity when a group of ex-revolutionaries reunite to rescue her after an enemy resurfaces 16 years later.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIt\u2019s half Paul and half me,\u201d Infiniti says of Willa\u2019s character. \u201cHalf of her comes from his writing, and the other half I brought from my own life and experiences.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tInfiniti\u2019s path to Anderson\u2019s sprawling militia epic wasn\u2019t straightforward. Raised in Indianapolis, she studied musical theater at Columbia College in Chicago. Despite her passion, she didn\u2019t land many roles in college productions, instead finding opportunities in summer stock and community theaters. \u201cI never thought this would happen. I would\u2019ve been happy with even one line in a movie,\u201d she says, recalling her early dreams.<\/p>\n

\n\tInfiniti introduces herself to Hollywood, and the rest of the cinema loving world on the season 12 premiere of the Variety Awards Circuit Podcast. Listen below.<\/p>\n

\n\tHer name, a mash-up of Nicole Kidman\u2019s Chase Meridian from \u201cBatman Forever\u201d and Pixar\u2019s \u201cToy Story,\u201d feels oddly prophetic for an actor now stepping into Hollywood\u2019s spotlight.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tChase Infiniti in \u201cOne Battle After Another\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u00a9Warner Bros\/Courtesy Everett Collection<\/p>\n

\n\tIn \u201cOne Battle After Another,\u201d Willa is no stock teenager. With a purple belt in martial arts and a razor-sharp sense of agency, she emerges as one of Anderson\u2019s most compelling young protagonists. \u201cShe\u2019s assertive, but not pretentious. She\u2019s hopeful. I think she represents the possibility of a better future,\u201d Infiniti explains.<\/p>\n

\n\tInfiniti prepared for the role by traveling with Anderson and Leonardo DiCaprio<\/a> (who plays her father) to Eureka, Calif. \u201cMeeting people in that town helped me lock Willa in. I noticed how communities interacted, and that grounded her for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tInfiniti shares the screen with DiCaprio, Regina Hall, Teyana Taylor and two-time Oscar winner Sean Penn. A key sequence with Penn, in which Willa undergoes a tense DNA test, became a lesson in restraint and reactive acting. \u201cIt felt like sparring,\u201d she describes. \u201cHe\u2019s intimidating, but Paul [Thomas Anderson] encouraged us to lean into that raw, natural reaction. It was exhilarating.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tInfiniti is particularly effusive in her admiration for both Hall and Taylor during our sitdown. Speaking about Taylor\u2019s performance, she said she was \u201cso amazing\u201d in bringing the character of Perfidia to life, making her \u201ceven more colorful\u201d than what appeared on the page.<\/p>\n

\n\tWhen it came to Hall, Infiniti emphasized how much strength and subtlety she brought to the role of Deandra. \u201cDeandra is a quiet character in a sense, but she\u2019s not quiet,\u201d she asserts. \u201cShe really is the most central force of strength that\u2019s in the film, and she does a fantastic job of almost honing in every character and being a mother to Willa \u2014 a mother that she never got to have.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tDespite the starry company, Infiniti admits she\u2019s still adjusting. \u201cHalf of me thought I could be here, half of me thought I couldn\u2019t. I had no industry connections, no on-camera work before this. Paul literally hired me without seeing my first job,\u201d she says. \u201cNow I\u2019m on this press tour and it\u2019s surreal.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tInfiniti\u2019s real-life parents, meanwhile, are taking it all in. \u201cMy mom cries every time she sees the trailer. There\u2019s a shot of Lockjaw holding Willa\u2019s baby picture and she always says, \u2018That\u2019s my baby.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThough she\u2019s only just arrived, Infiniti is already dreaming of future roles. She\u2019d love to work with Greta Gerwig or Steven Spielberg \u2014 and she\u2019s vocal about her passion for movie musicals. \u201cIf they ever adapt \u2018Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812\u2019 into a film, I don\u2019t even need to book it. I just want to be seen for Natasha,\u201d she declares.<\/p>\n

\n\tAs for advice to her younger self, Infiniti borrows wisdom passed down to her: \u201cYou have nothing to prove, but everything to show.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\u00a9Warner Bros\/Courtesy Everett Collection<\/p>\n

\t\tRapid Fire Questions with Chase Infiniti\t<\/p>\n

\n\tFavorite Paul Thomas Anderson film (other than \u201cOne Battle After Another\u201d)?
<\/strong>\u201cBoogie Nights.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tFavorite Leonardo DiCaprio performance?
<\/strong>\u201cCatch Me If You Can.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tFavorite Benicio del Toro movie?
<\/strong>\u201cThe Usual Suspects.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tFavorite horror film?
<\/strong>\u201cGet Out.\u201d (though she admits she\u2019s a self-described \u201cscaredy cat.\u201d)<\/p>\n

\n\tMovie that makes you cry every time?
<\/strong>\u201cToy Story 3.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tFunniest movie of all time?
<\/strong>\u201cOne Battle After Another.\u201d (\u201cIt\u2019s an action comedy!\u201d she laughs.)<\/p>\n

\n\tDirector you\u2019d most like to work with next?
<\/strong>\u201cSteven Spielberg, Greta Gerwig, or the Daniels. Honestly, anyone who wants to see me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tAlso featured on this episode<\/a> is Dwayne Johnson, star and producer of Benny Safdie\u2019s dramatic biopic \u201cThe Smashing Machine.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tVariety\u2019s \u201cAwards Circuit\u201d podcast, hosted by Clayton Davis, Jazz Tangcay, Emily Longeretta, Jenelle Riley and Michael Schneider, who also produces, is your one-stop source for lively conversations about the best in film and television. Each episode, \u201cAwards Circuit\u201d features interviews with top film and TV talent and creatives, discussions and debates about awards races and industry headlines, and much more. Subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify or anywhere you download podcasts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Chase Infiniti is living the dream she never fully believed would come true. The 24-year-old Indianapolis native makes…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":257411,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[131495,171,13618,59477,116180,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-257410","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-entertainment","8":"tag-chase-infiniti","9":"tag-entertainment","10":"tag-leonardo-dicaprio","11":"tag-one-battle-after-another","12":"tag-paul-thomas-anderson","13":"tag-united-states","14":"tag-unitedstates","15":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115273488684687058","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/257410","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=257410"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/257410\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/257411"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=257410"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=257410"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=257410"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}