Inde Navarrette Desperately Seeks Someone to Nerd Out With
She casually brings up all my favorite topics: JJK, Kingdom Hearts, She's The Man, & loving Charlie from Twilight (hot).
Welcome to mixed feelings’ Hyperspecific, a profile series of increasingly intimate questions in which we ask our favorite artists, characters, musicians, and the like to unveil their innermost selves — their weird existential musings.
Like many horror fans, I’d like to think I’m pretty desensitized to a scare. I can safely turn on a slasher right before bed, get under the covers, and fall asleep (brag). Obsession was different. The indie-horror-turned-insane-box-office-sensation hit me like a train. It wasn’t the kind of fear that made me afraid to shower alone or sleep in the dark; it was something much worse: a deep, unshakable dread that followed me for weeks.
At the center of my agony was the extraordinarily devastating performance by Inde Navarrette, who plays Nikki in the film. Her guttural screams and facial contortions are embedded in my brain. But in real life, she’s the complete opposite. She has a bright, shiny energy, and an easy way about her, a winning combination that is only amplified by her Spider-Man T-shirt-and-silk-skirt combo.
I’m slack-jawed each time she naturally brings up a few of my favorite conversation topics: She’s The Man, how Charlie from Twilight is actually hot (yes, the dad), and the aesthetic of Kingdom Hearts. She flows easily from preaching about how the Gojo x Geto ship in JJK is “100% canon” to thoughtfully addressing the complex public reception of Obsession.
As much as I feel to my core that I understand the themes of this movie, it’s undeniable that there’s confusing, and often disappointing, commentary swirling around it online. When asked what she thinks about people (read: men) who are questioning who the victim and villain of this movie are, she gives an extremely thoughtful, detailed answer.
“Personally, what I love about the movie is the way that it really shows how one decision that you make affects who you are, right? And I’m not talking about the wish…A lot of audience members didn’t realize that Bear lies about sleeping with Nikki when Ian asks him. He does. And so it’s these small nuanced moments that lead to the fact that he is this way [underneath], but he’s not really seen that way, right? Because he’s a ‘nice guy.’ He’s not this typical trope of a villain. It’s so realistic and that’s what’s horrifying…You have no idea what happens behind closed doors.”
Read our full questionnaire below plus some extra special questions about Obsession on our Instagram and TikTok.
—Logan, art director @ mixed feelings
LEVEL I
Something you’re always hoping people bring up in conversation.
I think it’s so funny when people go, “You’re a lot smaller than I thought.” I just did an interview the other day and [the interviewer] was like, “You give 6’8” energy.” And I was like, “Wow. Always bring up that I’m 6’8”. Thank you!”
What’s a positive trait people always tell you you have?
People tell me that they like my smile and it’s really sweet whenever they meet my mom, they go, “Yeah, that makes sense.”
One destructive trait you know you possess and wish you didn’t.
Probably my lack of ability to take down an all-you-can-eat buffet situation like sushi. I wish I could. I cannot. I wish I could. And then you’ve got to pay for it! And that’s when you bring your boyfriend or your brother because they’re like human vacuums.
There’s a [sushi restaurant] near my house where the sushi roll is called “Jessica Albecore”. Isn’t that cute?
If a bodega were to name a dish after you, what would it be? (Be specific.)
I hope they don’t name sandwiches after me. I feel like after this movie, that would be a little bit redundant. The “kitty cat sandwich” would be my sandwich at a bodega for sure. What’s in it? Not cats. Maybe some turkey, mayo, mustard…Actually, you know what? Just have it be a hotdog.
One song that makes you feel understood.
I just saw Raye last night! “Escapism” was great for me. Ethel Cain. I’m going to say any song by Ethel Cain, but I specifically really like “Nettles”.
Something you think is wildly underrated.
Wearing noise canceling headphones but with nothing going on and doing chores. I think it’s so peaceful and calming. I feel like the voices in my head finally shut up when I have noise canceling headphones on.
I’ll do it in public. Especially on the subway because I like listening to other people’s conversations, but I don’t want to be publicly nosy. But I am a nosy person. I am listening.
LEVEL II
A movie/tv show you watch when you want to self-soothe.
I was just talking to somebody about The Mummy earlier today. The Mummy 1999 with Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz, that one. Their chemistry in that movie is phenomenal. That one or anything by Amanda Bynes. She’s The man. Sydney White. Stupidly underrated!
What is your problematic favorite artist, actor, dead or alive?
Oh, Nikki. People think Nikki’s problematic and I think she’s totally valid, but I think if we’re going to go Jujutsu Kaisen, then Geto.
We’re on season two right now but toward the end. Right now Gojo is in the box. He’s stuck in the box and they’re trying to get him.
I feel like the Gojo and Geto ship has gotten really strong online. It’s canon basically. Friendship ships are the best I think. But also whenever they ship two people that clearly aren’t together, it’s my favorite. Oh my God. Right now people are shipping Sarah and Nikki [from Obsession] and I’m like, wait, yeah! I went down a little bit of a rabbit hole. Privately.
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What is the first fandom you lost yourself in?
Twilight. I remember going with my stepmom to watch New Moon and she was like, “you got to read the book before you go,” because she was a fan of the books and it was the cutest thing ever because [she and my dad] had just gotten married and it was our first time bonding. She was like, “here’s New Moon.” And then we went to go watch the movie together.
Honestly, I’m Team Bella. I am her. But…Charlie…I talk about this all the time and my friends make fun of me because I’m like, “He’s so hot.” He’s protective the way that he picks her up and carries her out of the woods.
What is something you bought recently after LOTS of research?
I don’t research anything. I just buy it and then I go, “Oh, that didn’t work.” Or, “Yay, that did work.” But I think if I’m being honest, probably the laptop I just got because I really want to get into animation. I was in Thailand filming a movie and I was looking up graphics, and I really wanted to get the bigger [laptop], but they only had the smaller ones, so I went and got a certain processor for the laptop. And now I’m learning how to animate.
Right now I’m learning Adobe After Effects [from YouTube videos], just to understand the layering of things. I really like when people make TikToks and there’s a layering of a flower or there’s music and you can add things. A lot of Ethel Cain edits do that. I’m a little bit jealous and I want to do that. I want to direct one day.
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A fictional world you want to live in and why?
Some things I get excited about because I like the way that it looks, but I’ve never seen it or played it. Does that make any sense? Yeah. So Kingdom Hearts games with that animation style. Make me tall. Make me taller, teeny, tiny, whichever you want to do, and give me that sword. That dude with the jorts and the straps and the giant shoes. Crash Bandicoot is jealous.
Random thing in your home that always requires explanation?
Oh, I have a Christmas tree.
I just didn’t take it down. It’s just become a part of my apartment now and it’s like my cat’s favorite hiding place. [My cat’s name is] Poppy. She’s a tuxedo and she’s so cute. I went to go film a TV show and my brother made her super fat by giving her so much food. So she has this really pretty primordial pouch whenever she walks and it swings and it’s the cutest thing ever. She’s got these really big green eyes. Oh, she’s perfect.
And [the tree] is fake. Could you imagine it if it was real and just rotting in my house? Anyway, it’s decorated year-round.
LEVEL III
What’s an anecdote you usually tell to describe how you were as a kid?
I would always say, “Mommy, I do.” That’s how I got my nickname, Inde, because I was very independent. She’s a hairstylist and I would tell her clients that I don’t let her do my hair. So very “I do.” Yeah, she was like, “Stop telling them that.”
She’s like, “Sit down. I’m going to do your hair.” “Nope, mommy, I do.” “Hey, I’m going to blow these bubbles to give you bubbles.” “No, mommy, I do.” “I’m going to help you put on clothes.” “Nope. Mommy, I do.” She was just like, “Okay. You’re my first daughter. I would like to dress you.”
What is your lowkey hell and actual heaven?
Lowkey hell right now is sciatica, dude. I am 25 and I have double sciatica. Walk in the heels though. I’ve gotta strut.
And low key heaven is when I get acupuncture for my sciatica and I get a massage and I go “ahhhh.” I levitate.
MF: Damn the sciatica sounds awful.
I got hit by a car and so [my nerves are] pinched. So it’s either a jolting pain or numbness. It kind of feels like if you take a needle and you just run it across a certain area. Mine will be at the tops of my feet or my back. Now when I get up, I stretch my hips and then I go start the day.
The whole story is super funny. Long story short, my friend broke her wrist first while snowboarding and then a blizzard happened, and you’re not allowed to fly with a cast. So we drove her down from Vancouver in a blizzard — all the way down home [to southern California] is a 22-hour drive and we did it in 22 hours straight. So we get down, we drop her off, she leaves. Me and my friend David are at this bar in Venice Beach and we go, “You know what? It’s raining, but screw it. Let’s go play pool.” And we hop on [e-bikes] having never taken an e-bike before.
We’re going and having fun and he almost eats it behind me. I’m looking behind me, and then I look forward, and a guy blew a Stop sign in the back streets of Venice and I go flying. My phone was playing T-Pain’s “Buy U a Drank” and it’s the only soundtrack of the night. We find my phone eventually and the guy gets out of his car and he’s like, “Are you okay?” So I started doing squats. I was like, “I’m totally fine,” because I’m in shock. And my friend David is just like, “Oh, I thought you were dead. I thought you were dead. I thought you died.” And then I went home and then my legs started swelling up.
So then we went to the ER and they took a picture of it. I shit you not — they took a picture and they’re like, “You’re fine.” And I went home. And so I thought it was funny because my friend had just broken her wrist and I had to call her and be like, “Hey, I got hit by a car.” So I think it’s funny. It’s okay. We do acupuncture and stretch. And I have things to talk about with older people.
What is your most unhinged coping mechanism?
I don’t think it’s unhinged, but screaming really loud in closed quarters, like in a car. And you get it out and you go *big exhale* and then you leave the room. You have to have a very, quite literally guttural, scream to get it out.
I’d imagine people who scream in songs, like metal songs, do it correctly to save their voice. And Michael Johnston, who plays “Bear,” is a voice actor, so he gave me tips and tricks after I lost my voice. God bless him. I mean, we were so busy doing our own thing. It wasn’t on the top of our heads to be like, “How do we do this safely?” I still don’t know, but I just did it and do it, but I’m not like a singer, so it doesn’t matter. If my voice gets raspy, that would be sick.
What is one random thing you hate so much for no apparent reason?
Tomatoes. No, ma’am. That texture? No ma’am.
Politically correct answer: I love you tomatoes. You have done nothing wrong to me and I love you so much, but please stay so far away from me unless you’re in pasta and ground up. You can’t be chunky and in my food and in direct sight.
How do you exit a party?
Irish-ly? It is my favorite [way to exit a party]. If it’s with family and friends, then we’ll say “Bye” to the family and maybe a few friends. But I really love, if I’m out and about, [sending] a quick little text to let the girls know I got home safe. But if my social battery dies, I’m gone.
How you wanna go (either un-seriously or seriously).
Like dying? Oh, yes. It would be so cool running into a burning building and saving somebody. And then my last moment is just throwing them out and then I just go *poof* up in flames. I traumatize them, but… goin’ out like a hero.