THE FUSE

7 min read

It’s the face that launched a thousand memes. You know the one: sad puppy-dog eyes, furrowed brow, pronounced frown, the corners of the mouth curving dramatically downward. In Obsession, the surprise hit horror film directed by the then 26-year-old YouTuber Curry Barker, Inde Navarrette’s Nikki delivers the now-viral expression with aplomb. Her utter dismay is so convincing, she’s downright terrifying. And overnight, she became a star, her countenance now cemented in horror history alongside Jason Voorhees’s mask from Friday the 13th and Ghostface in the Scream franchise. “When I go outside now, people yell ‘Nikki,’” she says. “It’s almost like they’re yelling ‘Inde.’ It doesn’t help that both names end in a similar sound.”

The recent attention is new to Navarrette. Before her breakout this year, she had played supporting characters in a string of projects: the teen Netflix series 13 Reasons Why, the CW superhero drama Superman & Lois, and the action thriller Trap House. But she had never landed a lead role. At 24, she paused to reevaluate the trajectory of her career. “I started looking at life differently, because I wasn’t where I wanted to be,” Navarrette explains. “I wanted to make a piece of work that people could look back at and say, ‘Oh, she’s capable of more than we’ve seen her do.’” With Obsession, she did just that, and then some.

Her ambition started young. Born Danielle Fabiola Navarrette in Tucson, Arizona, to a family of mixed Mexican and Australian ancestry, she was surrounded by strong women like her mother, who gave her the nickname “Inde” for her independent spirit. It suits her: Navarrette is determined and sensitive, works hard, knows exactly what she wants, and isn’t afraid to feel things deeply. Ironically, as a child, she was “super scared” of horror movies. She and her siblings loved watching them, but Navarrette describes herself as an empathetic kid who internalized everything happening on the screen as if it were happening to her. To this day, she says, if someone puts a scary movie on, “I freak the fuck out.”

Norman Jean Roy

Shirt, Polo Ralph Lauren. Earrings, Bulgari. Shoes, Le Silla.

In Obsession, Nikki is a music store clerk’s secret, debilitating crush. Bear (Michael Johnston) is incapable of telling her how he really feels, so he makes a wish: that she love him “more than anyone in the fucking world.” Much to the audience’s surprise, it comes true—but not as he imagined. Not even close. Their relationship turns, well, obsessive.

Despite the violence and gore, the first time Navarrette read the script, she didn’t see it as horror. To her, the narrative was sadder and more psychologically twisted than she expected films in the genre to be—this was a story about a woman being robbed of her existence, her agency, and ultimately her sense of self. “It’s devastating that Nikki completely loses her entire life,” she says. “It’s not a new idea. Women couldn’t have bank accounts until 1974.” Navarrette nails the role because she understands Nikki’s vulnerability. She sees the person underneath and what it means to watch that person disappear.

Seen by some as an incel fantasy-turned-nightmare, Obsession explores Bear’s desire for control but leaves its interpretation up for debate, something Navarrette appreciates about Barker’s approach. The film does raise the eternal When Harry Met Sally question: Can a man and a woman truly be friends? “I think they can,” she says, adding that it comes down to having a healthy amount of “self-respect and morals and values and boundaries.” She trails off, then adds, “But of course, when you spend a lot of time with somebody, you’re going to potentially see them differently.”

Norman Jean Roy

Dress, Ralph Lauren Collection. Hat, Zalinah White.

For Navarrette, the real win is being part of something people can’t stop talking about. The buzz has led her from hosting Saturday Night Live, to Nikki-inspired Halloween costumes, to awards chatter, and ultimately to landing a huge new role: as Rogue in the upcoming X-Men reboot from Marvel Studios. “Her mind must be fascinating, because she is starved of human touch,” she says of her character. “I would personally die if I couldn’t hug my friends and family.” But amid all the noise, what matters most is that Obsession is resonating. “It’s a dream for Nikki to feel understood,” she says. “The fact that she is makes me happier than I could ever have imagined.”

On her Hollywood story

Trusting yourself might be the key to making your dreams come true. I know for a fact that my life completely changed when I started doing the things I had been procrastinating about. Up until I was 23, I was a really big people-pleaser. I wanted to make friends, and it was very important to me how I was being seen and acknowledged. When I turned 24, I started looking at life differently, because I didn’t feel good. Something needed to change. So when I went to work on Obsession, I told myself, “I’m not coming here to make friends.” It was the first set I ever went on where I solely walked in as an actor and left as an actor. After production ended, friendships naturally blossomed with the people I worked with, and they’ve turned into some of the best friendships I’ve ever had.

On her first audition

My first audition was for a commercial. I was 13 or 14, and my mom had driven four hours from Fresno to L.A. for me to do it. I ended up getting it, and it was such a cool experience. I remember they had me drive a car, and the brakes went out because I didn’t know you were supposed to pump them to get the brake fluid going—I didn’t even know how to drive. So the car just wouldn’t stop. The commercial never came out, but I remember being on set, looking at the monitor, seeing the lens flares and everything, and just really falling in love with that whole process.

Norman Jean Roy

Jacket, bodysuit, earrings, belt, Marc Jacobs.

On how her heritage shaped who she is

I grew up with a family on both sides that really doesn’t see failure as an option. You just do the work. Having that mindset has really allowed me to take moments in, rather than wishing I had done everything differently. Plus, I think the lack of Hollywood in my family is really, really, really nice.

On the women in Hollywood who have influenced her career

I love the women in Hollywood who have never let their light dim, like someone as successful as Viola Davis. She’s [given speeches] where she talks about feeling good, believing in yourself, and trusting yourself. Another one is Salma Hayek [Pinault]. Those are two very accomplished women.

Beauty Tip: A matte red lip feels modern with the blurred finish of Dior Rouge Dior On Stage Matte.

Norman Jean Roy

Bodysuit, Marc Jacobs. Earrings, Bulgari.

On the character she’d most like to have lunch with

Nikki. I would love to ask her so many questions, because I’m trying to write a screenplay right now. It’s so fun and addicting, but so damn hard. I’ve been writing stories forever, but I never really took them seriously. Sometimes it’s really effective just to put them somewhere. Some of them make me laugh, and some of them make me cry.

I brought one up recently in a meeting with a studio, and they were into it, which was really confidence-building. Before that, I never saw myself as a screenwriter, because I never went to college. But it’s a good hobby to have, especially in a world where so much is going on. It’s nice to sit with yourself and your thoughts in a constructive, creative way.

On being a woman in Hollywood

I’m part of a very, very strong community. I think women are such doers. Women know how to get shit done. They’re inherently born with this superpower brain.

On what she’d tell her younger self

I would tell myself nothing, because I think every single thing that I had to go through really solidified where I am now. I would just give her a hug and a solid high five and say, “You’ve got this,” because she did. Keep doing it. Keep going.

Norman Jean Roy

Shirt, Polo Ralph Lauren. Earrings, Bulgari.

On her craziest “only in Hollywood” story

I smoked a cigarette with Dave Chappelle at the Comedy Cellar. I sat in the front row for his set, and I was so happy nobody picked on me. I was so nervous, because it was only a week after Obsession had come out. I was grateful that some people had seen it, but not everybody had. I was just sitting there thinking, “Oh, please, please.”

On a goal she hasn’t accomplished yet

I want to fight for the audience’s trust in me. I want them to see me as someone who can bring them stories that hopefully make them feel seen or entertained. I want to add my perspective and not shy away from the ugly parts of life. I want to have a career filled with movies that are complex. And if anybody wants to do a clothing line with me, that would be so much fun. Hey, designers out there, let me come in and make some things for the shorties!

On her advice for the next generation

Don’t let the fear of not being seen as good stand in the way of being understood. Speak your mind, because you know what you mean. And it matters. Don’t worry about the way that other people see you. Let that go first, and never let it back in. Hit the ground running.

Lead image: Top, bodysuit, skirt, belt, Marc Jacobs. Earrings, Bulgari.

Hair by Marc Mena for Great Lengths; makeup by Kali Kennedy at Streeters; manicure by Yoko SakAkura for OPI; produced by Alexey Galetskiy at AGPNYC.

A version of this story appears in the December 2026/January 2027 issue of ELLE.

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