‘Obsessions’ Star Inde Navarrette Brings Her First Late-Night Spotlight to ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ with Standout TV Debut Moment

The hottest new face in horror finally made her late-night television debut. Inde Navarrette, the breakout star behind the runaway hit ‘Obsession’, stepped onto the ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ stage on June 5, marking a major milestone in what has quickly become one of the most talked-about careers in genre cinema right now.

Navarrette appeared on the show alongside fellow guest Johnny Knoxville, promoting ‘Obsession’ before a national audience. The episode aired on a rare Friday night slot, the result of ABC shifting its schedule around coverage of Game 2 of the NBA Finals. The appearance comes at a moment when the 25-year-old actress is riding a wave of momentum few could have predicted just months ago.

‘Obsession’, directed by YouTube-turned-filmmaker Curry Barker, was shot in just 20 days on a budget of roughly $750,000, yet has earned a 95% critics score and a 94% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. The film also earned an A-minus CinemaScore from audiences, a rare feat for the horror genre, which tends to generate far lower exit poll grades due to the unsettling nature of the material.

Opening on May 15, ‘Obsession’ debuted at number three at the box office with an impressive $17.2 million, then made history by holding the top weekday spot from Monday through Wednesday, becoming the cheapest film to lead the midweek box office in years. Over the Memorial Day weekend, the film surged with $23.9 million over three days, a record-breaking increase that made it the only title in Focus Features history to expand its theater count heading into a third weekend. By the time Navarrette sat down with Kimmel, the film had already crossed $148 million at the global box office against its micro budget.

Navarrette plays Nikki, a woman who becomes the unwilling subject of a supernatural wish made by her coworker Bear, played by Michael Johnston. The consequences of that wish spiral into something deeply sinister, and it is her fearless, physically committed performance that critics have cited as the true engine of the film’s success. Critics and audiences have pointed to her work as a breakout moment, with many placing her firmly in scream queen territory.

Before ‘Obsession’, Navarrette had built a television following through ’13 Reasons Why’ and ‘Superman & Lois’, where she played Sarah Cushing across multiple seasons on The CW.

Navarrette said her goal with the role was for audiences to watch and feel understood, adding that she wanted viewers to be able to say they had genuinely felt what Nikki feels. She also confirmed her enthusiasm for staying in the genre, saying that if horror will have her, she plans to stick around for a while.

The Kimmel segment saw Navarrette open up about her overnight stardom and her personal daredevil streak, including going skydiving. With the producers already set to reunite with her on the upcoming rollercoaster thriller ‘Invertigo’, it is clear that Hollywood has no intention of letting this particular moment pass quietly. The late-night debut felt less like a promotional appearance and more like a coronation.

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