In many ways, Chase Infiniti was the unsung hero of the Oscars 2026. As director Paul Thomas Anderson noted in his acceptance speech, Infiniti is the “heart” of this year's Best Picture winner One Battle After Another.
And, in her custom Louis Vuitton lavender gown with a cascading ruffled train along with dazzling yellow diamonds courtesy of De Beers London, Infiniti also made a strong case for best dressed on the red carpet.
To top it all off, Infiniti also made a poised appearance on stage during the ceremony to speak eloquently about casting director Cassandra Kulukundis, who took home the first Best Casting award for her work on One Battle After Another.
So, who is Chase Infiniti?
Weekend sorted.
Chase Infiniti is named after these two iconic characters
Was Chase Infiniti destined for Hollywood? Well, her name kind of suggests that she was.
The actor got her first name from Nicole Kidman's Batman Forever character Chase Meridian, while her second name, Infiniti, comes from Buzz Lightyear's catchphrase “To infinity and beyond” in Toy Story. “My parents definitely love the movies,” she said to The Guardian. Her real last name is Payne.
Chase Infiniti grew up performing
Born in 2000 in Indiana to a father who worked in construction and a mother who stayed home to raise her and her sister, Infiniti was passionate about acting from the very beginning. She attended The International School of Indiana as a kid before going to North Central High School. At the age of 10, Infiniti appeared in a musical showcase at her school — and she was hooked. “I was like, ‘I want to do this,’” she told Dazed.
And that's exactly what she did. “I literally was just doing as much theatre as I could,” she said during a conversation with Teyana Taylor for Interview. “Especially during the summers. During the school year, if I was not at school, I was rehearsing for a musical or a play. I didn’t do much outside of that.”
She went on to study musical theatre at Columbia College Chicago and graduated with a BFA in 2022.
Chase Infiniti got her start with Presumed Innocent
Seeing Infiniti hold her own opposite the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio in One Battle After Another or on stage at the Oscars is especially impressive when you learn that she only had one role prior to the film. In 2024, she starred in Apple TV+'s Presumed Innocent alongside Jake Gyllenhaal.
Chase Infiniti gives a sophisticated, soulful performance in One Battle After Another
Infiniti may not have been up for one of the acting awards at yesterday's ceremony, but she more than holds her own opposite Leonardo DiCaprio, Teyana Taylor, Benecio del Toro and Sean Penn, all of whom were nominated for their work in the film.
Infiniti plays Willa, daughter of DiCaprio's Bob and Taylor's Perfidia. A wise-beyond-her-years teen and, quote-unquote, parentified daughter, Willa has spent her childhood effectively running the house for her paranoid, alcoholic father. Things take a turn when Bob's revolutionary past catches up with him and Willa gets caught in the crossfire.
The role earned her Golden Globe, Critics’ Choice and Gotham Award nominations. Infiniti was also recognised at the BAFTAs where she received a nod in the Rising Star category.
Infiniti went through six months of auditions before landing the role, including “four days of intensive karate training, private lessons and group classes,” as she told The Guardian.
Archie Madekwe, Posy Sterling, Robert Aramayo, Chase Infiniti and Miles Caton were nominated.
Chase Infiniti has a few exciting upcoming projects
Prepare to see Infiniti absolutely everywhere. Next month, she stars as Agnes in Hulu's The Testaments, the much-anticipated sequel to The Handmaid's Tale. She is also set to star in The Julia Set opposite Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs.
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