Inde Navarrette on Obsession, Horror, and What’s Next

Inde Navarrette has no voice. So, mutually, we decide to go camera-off for our video call. It makes sense for an actress who’s had the kind of whirlwind year that might leave anyone a little worse for wear. Her breakthrough role in Obsession, the highest-rated horror movie of 2026 on Rotten Tomatoes, has earned the 25-year-old critical acclaim and even early Oscar buzz. “I’m really happy that people are seeing that I did the best that I could and are celebrating that,” she says of the positive reviews.

As so often happens in culture, praise is quickly followed by fashion deals. First up: Gap, which has tapped Navarrette to front its fall 2026 campaign, “Denim on Your Own,” alongside Malcolm Todd, cleverly set to the singer’s remix of Robyn’s “Dancing on My Own.” The message of individuality feels right for the rising star, who says, “In order to play my character super authentically, I have to be very authentic in my own natural life to never feel fake or as though there’s any sort of performing.”

Below, Navarrette talks Obsession, fashion dos and don’ts, and what genre she’d like to explore next. (Hint: Horror is still on the table.)

Obsession is a massive hit. Did you have any idea it was going to resonate the way it has, or has the reaction surprised you?

It’s majorly surprised me. I think that none of us really knew that this was gonna happen, so I’m still getting used to everything.

What’s been the most unexpected response so far? Has anyone reached out who completely caught you off guard?

Before [Obsession] came out, Wunmi [Mosaku] from Sinners was at one of the early screenings. Her performance was just otherworldly and defining and just so natural; she knows what it takes to put a character together. To have her say congratulations really sticks out to me as one of the big ones.

People are comparing your performance to Sissy Spacek’s in Carrie, which got her an Oscar nomination. How does that make you feel?

That’s just crazy. It’s really made me think about how authentically she must have put herself into that role. I’m not saying that she is Carrie, but how well she played that role is insane. I think doing the best that you can at a job that you’re really excited about can put you up there with people who are considered legends. When they were just starting, they were just really excited about a job and doing the best that they can. So it’s a really cool thing because, to me, I’m like, “Well dude, that’s Carrie, why is my name part of the process?” But I’m really happy that people are seeing that I did the best that I could and are celebrating that.

This campaign celebrates individuality and “doing things your own way.” What does expressing yourself authentically look like in your day-to-day life?

I think it’s extremely important, because with my job being expressing another person and living in another person, sometimes it might seem like an oxymoron, but in order to play my characters super authentically, I have to be very authentic in my own natural life to never feel fake or to feel as though there’s any sort of performing, because that’s what I do for a job. And what that shows up as is having friends that you don’t have to be a certain person to be around—you can just be yourself. And what I really love about my friends is a lot of my friends make their own clothes. They’re really expressive visually, and I was a little bit nervous a few years ago to start doing that myself. In my late teens, that was such a big thing, and now that I’m in my mid-twenties, that’s coming back. For me, [visual expression] shows up in the clothes that you wear and the people that you hang out with.

The soundtrack, “Dancing on My Own,” is such an iconic song. Were you already a Robyn fan?

I don’t know what planet I’ve been living on, but I had never heard of this song. And then I got there, and I was like, “Wow, Malcolm made his own song,” and people were like, “Are you insane?” I was like, “First of all, I need to be humbled right now, please tell me who and what this song is.” Right after, [Robyn] played it onstage with thousands of people screaming it back at her, and my friend was like, “Yeah, you dingus.” But it’s cool listening to the original of something for the first time and also the remix of something for the first time. I think Malcolm did a very good job.

Is there a classic Gap campaign or commercial that you’ve always loved? I’m still obsessed with the Sarah Jessica Parker and Lenny Kravitz one.

On set, there were giant vision boards that had all of the early ’90s and early 2000s old photographs on them, so that was really cool to turn to and fit that vibe. It reminded me of the magazines that I would look at whenever I was younger, and it’s a full-circle moment for me, because those were the kinds of photo shoots that I loved. I eat the ’90s and early 2000s down. Those are my favorite. So it was cool to recreate them.

Denim is at the heart of the fall collection. What’s your current go-to pair of jeans? What silhouettes are you reaching for most these days?

I love a good low-rise. I’m not gonna lie, it’s my favorite. I wore this mid-rise pair during the campaign, but I love the way Gap jeans fit. They’re really soft, they’re not really so intense that you have to break them in fully. Because for me, I need to feel free, I need to feel like I can move. I’m gonna cross my legs, and I’m gonna pull my knees to my chest. I gotta be super comfy, especially in my jeans. [During the campaign], I was in my trailer, doing squats, like, “This feels good.” Gap is so good for petites. I’m 5”, so the bottom has to come up a little bit, which is such a normal thing for me, but with these, not much, and it doesn’t change the whole shape and fit.

Any other fashion dos and don’ts?

I look good in brown, and I look good in a dark brown, similar to my hair color, but I never knew why. So maybe my fashion try would be to try to wear all the color of your hair. I like the way it looked on me, hopefully it works for you too. A fashion don’t is don’t try to dress for anyone else; dress for yourself. Whatever that looks like.

I know you’re a big gamer. What are you playing right now?

I’m playing God of War Ragnarök right now, and Fortnite is so easily accessible that those two games are my top tier at the moment. It’s video games, anime, and a good meal.

What sort of role are you looking for next? Do you see yourself staying in horror?

Taking a project that really truthfully feels right. Finding a script that I feel the same way about as I did Obsession when I got it: “I know exactly how to play this character.” I’m biting my nails because I’m so excited about how to put this person together. And if that’s horror, then sick. I don’t want to stick to one genre, I just want to wait until I get that feeling again. But honestly, girl, a little bit of an exclusive for you is I cannot wait to do a horror movie again. I would do horror movies for the rest of my life; they are so much fun. And the horror community has really healed my fear of horror movies, because now I’m looking at it more as an activity rather than as traumatizing.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.