Inde Navarrette has spoken about the pressures of newfound fame, her anxiety after landing the role of Nikki in Obsession and an awkward encounter with Gemma Chan in a new interview with W Magazine.
The 25-year-old actress appears on the cover of the magazine’s The Originals Issue, Volume 5, released on Thursday.
Navarrette said she had struggled during her second audition for Obsession, believing the part would go to somebody else.
“I had auditioned a lot…And on my second audition for Obsession, I just couldn’t get there. I thought, well, shout-out to whoever plays Nikki, because it’s not going to be me!” she said.
When she was told she had secured the role, Navarrette said the news immediately heightened her anxiety. “When I received the phone call that I had gotten the part, my heart sank to my butt. I realized I had to work on my anxiety. But getting the film felt like kismet,” she said.
Inde Navarrette recalls Gemma Chan encounter
Navarrette also recalled meeting Chan in a lift at the Toronto Film Festival, where she began discussing Chan’s character in Crazy Rich Asians.
“Your character in Crazy Rich Asians was so meaningful to me because she got cheated on, and she left and didn’t look back,” Navarrette told her. Chan then replied: “I am a big fan of yours.”
Navarrette said she was taken aback by the compliment. “I was like, ‘Shut up! Don’t talk about my accomplishments—I want to talk about yours!’”
She also remembered her first red-carpet appearance, when she wore “this orange sort of shimmery thing that was like a bodysuit”. Navarrette said she was delighted when Jessica Chastain told her she looked pretty.
Reflecting on her growing profile, Navarrette said: “In all honesty, I never really imagined this. It’s a little overwhelming sometimes…But every day feels like the best day of my life so far.”
W Magazine’s The Originals Issue is due to reach newsstands on 27 October.
