NEED TO KNOW
\nChase Infiniti stars in Paul Thomas Anderson\u2019s new movie One Battle After Another with Leonardo DiCaprioThe actress is named after Nicole Kidman\u2019s character Chase Meridian in 1995\u2019s Batman Forever, she has confirmedFor her middle name, her parents drew inspiration from an iconic catchphrase in 1995\u2019s Toy Story<\/p>\n
One Battle After Another<\/a> star Chase Infiniti has a memorable name \u2014 and an equally memorable backstory for it.\n<\/p>\n \u201cWhen my parents were coming up with my name, they had watched Batman Forever<\/a> and they were obsessed with Nicole Kidman<\/a> as Chase Meridian,\u201d the 25-year-old actress, whose full name is Chase Infiniti Payne, said in a recent Today <\/a>show interview<\/a>.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n Kidman, 58, played Gotham criminal psychologist Chase Meridian in the Joel Schumacher-directed 1995 Batman sequel, the only installment starring Val Kilmer<\/a> as the Caped Crusader.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n Infiniti\u2019s parents, she recalled, resolved that their child \u201chas to be named Chase.\u201d But the actress\u2019 middle name came from an even more unexpected source \u2014\u00a0as she said, they were inspired by both \u201ca character and then a phrase from a film.\u201d\n<\/p>\n Watching 1995\u2019s Pixar hit Toy Story, said Infiniti, \u201cMy parents were like, Oh my gosh, \u2018To infinity and beyond.\u2019\u201d The catchphrase made famous by sci-fi toy Buzz Lightyear is what completed the puzzle of her name.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n Val Kilmer and Nicole Kidman in ‘Batman Forever’.<\/p>\n Snap\/Shutterstock\u00a0<\/p>\n Now, as the Today show hosts pointed out, Infiniti is a movie actress. \u201cI know, it\u2019s really crazy. I\u2019m like, \u2018How did you predict that?\u2019\u201d\n<\/p>\n Infiniti also recounted the story in a Vanity Fair<\/a> interview feature in August, and said in a video interview posted on IGN<\/a> that yes, Batman Forever is probably her favorite of that DC Comics character\u2019s movies. \u201cI didn’t watch it until pretty recently,\u201d she admitted.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n Infiniti plays Willa in Paul Thomas Anderson<\/a>\u2019s One Battle After Another (in theaters now), a girl whose revolutionary parents (Leonardo DiCaprio<\/a> and Teyana Taylor<\/a>) face off against military foes (including Sean Penn<\/a>). The movie costars Regina Hall<\/a>, Benicio del Toro<\/a> and more.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n Chase Infiniti and Regina Hall in ‘One Battle After Another’.<\/p>\n Warner Bros.<\/p>\n Her audition process for the role spanned five or six months, she said on the Today, after first sending in a self-tape while shooting her screen debut, the AppleTV+ miniseries Presumed Innocent<\/a> with Jake Gyllenhaal<\/a>. Although it was a whirlwind to meet DiCaprio, 50, and Anderson, 55, a month later, the actor-director duo were \u201cso kind,\u201d she recalled. \u201cI\u2019m so grateful for the entire experience.\u201d\u00a0\n<\/p>\n Never miss a story \u2014 sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter<\/a> to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer\u200b\u200b, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n