How Chase Infiniti Became Hollywood’s Next Leading Lady

1. Chase Inifiniti is her real name.

Her name alone evokes images of the spotlight and sounds like the actress was born for the stage. Funnily enough, it is in fact her real name, having been born Chase Infiniti Payne to parents who apparently have a knack for movie references. During a recent press run, Chase shared the origin of her name with the Today Show, telling host Al Roker that her name was inspired by "a character and then a phrase from the film."

She continued, "When my parents were coming up with my name, they had watched Batman Forever and they were obsessed with Nicole Kidman as Chase Meridian. And they're like, regardless of anything, like, our child has to be named Chase."

Chase went on to share that when her parents were thinking of middle names for her, they watched Toy Story and from the iconic phrase, "To infinity and beyond," Chase Infiniti Payne's very distinct name was born.

2. Chase is a proud theater kid. 

Where is Chase Infiniti from? Indianapolis, baby! And before Hollywood came calling, Chase was all about theater. When it came to honing her craft, you could not catch sis outside. She shared with Teyana for Interview that growing up, she'd spend most of her time performing in local theater productions, especially during the summer months.

"I am not joking when I say all that I did growing up in Indianapolis was theater. I literally was just doing as much theater as I could," she told the mag. "During the school year, if I was not at school, I was rehearsing for a musical or a play." She has shared in the past her love for Grease and Hairspray as standouts.

3. She is intentional about exploring her characters.

In an interview that Chase did with her One Battle After Another co-star Teyana Taylor for Interview, she revealed one of the best pieces of advice she got while working with P.T.A. (Paul Thomas Anderson) on their film. She recalled the advice to Teyana: “Just try it, and if it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work. But explore every aspect of your character as much as you can.”

She concluded about its impact on her approach to character work, "I don’t think I’ve been granted permission in that way, or granted myself permission in that way. That definitely shifted the way I think about creating or at least living through a character."

4. Zendaya inspired her and later sent Chase flowers.

Over the years, Zendaya's work ethic and cult status as a fashion it girl has put her on the radar of many. Chase revealed to ELLE that Zendaya was an inspiration for her after getting bit by the acting bug. For her, Zendaya offered representation and expansion, showing her what was possible.

She told ELLE, "I remember being like, 'This girl looks like me.' She is mixed. She is singing, acting, dancing, doing the thing that I want to do just in a different format that I didn’t even think about."

Fifteen years later, Zendaya gave Chase her flowers, literally, a moment she gushed about on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. "Like, literally even looking at it now and thinking about it, I love her so much and it makes me tear up thinking about it because I was so happy and so grateful," she recalled. Talk about a full circle moment.

5. Chase Infiniti booked her breakout role after a martial arts audition.

Chase's mastery of the One Battle After Another's fight choreography didn't come overnight. The groundwork was set after submitting her self-tape audition and then getting a callback that involved her taking a martial arts class in front of the film's director himself. In terms of her physicality, Chase had kickboxing training but was only a white belt in martial arts. But Paul Thomas Anderson was so impressed, she was offered the role on the spot.

"I never could have imagined that I would be training in mixed martial arts for four months straight and be able to hold my own and maintain stamina throughout the film," she revealed to ELLE. "But I loved the opportunity to train and to physically exert myself onscreen."

In that same interview, she added, that the career-making turning point gifted her with something valuable: her confidence. "The thing I try to do the most is remind myself that I’m capable of doing everything. I’ve been given these opportunities. I’m so grateful for them—I can handle it, and the people around me know I can handle it. I ground myself and remind myself that I’m here for a reason. I’m not here by accident. I did the work and will continue to do so."

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