Chase Infiniti is chasing one Oscar after another.
The critically acclaimed action-thriller “One Battle After Another,” directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, is quickly gaining momentum in this year’s awards race. Awards strategists and campaign teams for the film have confirmed exclusively to Variety that Infiniti will seek consideration in the lead actress category for the upcoming Oscar season.
Loosely inspired by Thomas Pynchon’s 1990 novel “Vineland,” “One Battle After Another” follows a group of former revolutionaries who reunite to rescue a comrade’s daughter after a long-dormant enemy reemerges. The Warner Bros.-produced ensemble features an impressive lineup of Oscar winners, nominees and breakout stars, including Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Benicio Del Toro, Regina Hall, Teyana Taylor and, most notably, Infiniti.
Infiniti, a 24-year-old Indianapolis native making her feature film debut, commands attention as Willa Ferguson, the daughter of a former radical, Bob (DiCaprio), and holds her own opposite Hollywood heavyweights. With a lead actress campaign planned, she avoids the risk of vote-splitting with co-stars Hall and Taylor, who are expected to compete in the supporting actress race. Penn and Del Toro will also vie for supporting actor recognition.
With the film currently holding a 95% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes and a 95 on Metacritic, “One Battle After Another” is positioned to become a leading contender this awards season. According to Variety’s most recent projections, the film is tracking for 14 Academy Award nominations — a total that would tie it for the most-nominated film of all time alongside “All About Eve” (1950), “Titanic” (1997), and “La La Land” (2016).
Some Oscar forecasts could find the film receiving upwards of six acting nominations: DiCaprio and Infiniti in lead, with Penn, Del Toro, Hall, and Taylor in supporting categories. If it achieves this, it would be the first film in Oscar history to earn six acting mentions. Currently, only 15 films have received nominations in all four acting categories. The last to do so was “American Hustle” in 2013. Moreover, only four films have earned five acting nominations: “Mrs. Miniver” (1942), “From Here to Eternity” (1953), “Bonnie and Clyde” (1967) and “Network” (1976).
Infiniti’s inaugural movie role could land her in rare company, which if nominated, would have her join a select group of actors recognized by the Academy for their film debut. In lead actress specifically, previous debut winners include Julie Andrews for “Mary Poppins” (1964) and Barbra Streisand for “Funny Girl” (1968), in addition to nominees Greer Garson for “Goodbye, Mr. Chips” (1939), Diana Ross for “Lady Sings the Blues” (1972), Keisha Castle-Hughes for “Whale Rider” (2003), Catalina Sandino Moreno for “Maria Full of Grace” (2004), Gabourey Sidibe for “Precious” (2009) and Quvenzhané Wallis for “Beasts of the Southern Wild” (2012).
Though its category has yet to be confirmed by the studio, “One Battle After Another” could be a viable contender for the Golden Globes in the comedy categories. With Infiniti, the category’s lineup could include Cynthia Erivo (“Wicked: For Good”), Kate Hudson (“Song Sung Blue”) and Emma Stone (“Bugonia”). Infiniti’s portrayal of Willa has drawn praise for subverting the trope of the damsel in distress, instead becoming her very own heroine in the tale. A purple belt in martial arts with a fierce sense of agency, Willa emerges as one of Anderson’s most compelling protagonists of his career.
Thus far, the film has earned $58.9 million internationally and $101.7 million globally to date. Infiniti was a guest on the Season 12 premiere episode of the Variety Awards Circuit Podcast, which debuted in Sept.
As the Oscar season heats up, “One Battle After Another” and its young star could make some history.
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