From Indianapolis to the Oscars…Meet Best Picture Star Chase Infiniti

When the Academy Awards ended late Sunday night, it was One Battle After Another that had collected the most gold statues, winning six, including Best Picture, the biggest one of them all.

By way of reaction shots or when their names were called as nominees, cast members got a lot of face time throughout the evening. Viewers also saw the film's lead actress on stage as a presenter and then later when the film won the top prize. She's Chase Infiniti, and, as it turns out, I've seen everything she's ever done. That's because One Battle After Another is only her second credited project. She also starred in the 2024 Apple TV+ limited series, Presumed Innocent.

Best Picture Star Is a Native Hoosier

Last night, I learned something else about this talented new star. She's from Indianapolis, born there on May 5, 2000. And, in case you wondered, Chase Infiniti is not an adopted stage name. Her parents named her after Nicole Kidman's Batman Forever character, Chase Meridian, and Buzz Lightyear's catchphrase, "To infinity and beyond!" Her full legal name is Chase Infiniti Payne.

About Chase Infiniti

After studying French at the International School of Indiana, Infiniti transferred to North Central High School, from which she graduated in 2018. Then it was off to Chicago's Columbia College, which she attended until her 2022 graduation.

Yes, do the math, and you'll realize she's making quick work of her career, which includes the lead role in Hulu's The Testaments, an adaptation of the Margaret Atwood novel and sequel to the streaming platform's dark blockbuster drama The Handmaid's Tale. The Testaments premieres on April 8th.

Her next project will see Infiniti playing a mathematician who takes on the world's toughest math exam. The London-shot film is called The Julia Set, co-starring Gillian Anderson and Jason Isaacs.

After that, who knows? But four high-profile roles in just four years after her college graduation tell me that the name "Chase Infiniti" will grow less unfamiliar in no time.