Key Takeaways
- Inde Navarrette told ELLE she welcomes strangers calling her “Nikki” after her Obsession breakout: “It’s a dream for Nikki to feel understood.”
- Curry Barker’s horror film earned more than $500 million worldwide on a budget under $1 million, while Nikki’s signature frown inspired viral memes and Halloween costumes.
- Navarrette landed Rogue in Marvel’s upcoming X-Men reboot, and Focus Features reportedly plans to push for a Best Actress nomination at the 2027 Oscars.
Inde Navarrette is finding out what happens when a horror character follows you off the screen: strangers now shout "Nikki" at her in public.
The 25-year-old Obsession breakout talked about it in her interview with ELLE, explaining how the similarities in her name and her immensely popular character’s moniker can be confusing.
"When I go outside now, people yell 'Nikki.' It's almost like they're yelling 'Inde.' It doesn't help that both names end in a similar sound,” Navarrette said. Instead of being annoyed, though, the actress revealed that she’s excited for the character to be recognized and appreciated by fans everywhere. "It's a dream for Nikki to feel understood,” Navarette explained. “The fact that she is makes me happier than I could ever have imagined."
The reason so many people know the name is because Obsession has become one of the biggest horror movies of all time. Directed by Curry Barker, a YouTuber who was 26 at the time, Obsession cost less than $1 million to make and has earned more than $500 million worldwide since it opened on May 15.
In the film, Michael Johnston plays Bear, a music store clerk who wishes his secret crush Nikki would love him "more than anyone in the fucking world." He gets his wish, and it turns into one long, bloody, and extremely fucking creepy nightmare.
Nikki's sad, puppy-dog frown became a viral meme that has now extended into Halloween costumes. For her portrayal of the character, Navarette has become a Hollywood sensation, landing the role of Rogue in Marvel’s upcoming X-Men movie and garnering some serious award show buzz.
Before all this, she was a supporting player. Born Danielle Fabiola Navarrette in Tucson, Arizona, to a family of mixed Mexican and Australian ancestry, she had parts in 13 Reasons Why, Superman & Lois, and Trap House but had never been the lead.
In her ELLE interview, the actress explained that she wanted to change how she approached acting based on where she was at in her career. “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,” she said. “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.”
Focus Features is reportedly pushing for Navarette to be nominated for Best Actress at the 2027 Oscars.
