In one of the most unusual ‘welcome to Hollywood’ moments, One Battle After Another breakout star Chase Infiniti reveals she was handed an electric razor by director Paul Thomas Anderson and told to shave Leonardo DiCaprio’s face during an early camera test—a nerve-wracking experience that forged an unforgettable on-screen bond.
Building authentic chemistry between actors is one of filmmaking’s most elusive arts. For acclaimed director Paul Thomas Anderson, sometimes the best method is the most unexpected. In what is quickly becoming a legendary on-set story, breakout star Chase Infiniti was tasked with a high-stakes grooming session involving co-star Leonardo DiCaprio during the early days of production on their new thriller, One Battle After Another.
Speaking on a recent episode of Entertainment Weekly‘s The Awardist podcast, Infiniti recounted the surreal experience of being handed an electric razor and instructed to shave the iconic actor’s face. It was a bizarre, nerve-wracking assignment that perfectly illustrates the unconventional methods used to create cinematic magic.
A Director’s Unorthodox Plan
The moment occurred during one of Infiniti’s first camera tests with DiCaprio, whom she had only met a few times prior. The production team was experimenting with the facial hair for DiCaprio’s character, ex-revolutionary Bob Ferguson. Infiniti explained that Anderson decided to turn the technical test into a character-building exercise.
“They had somebody there who was doing it originally and then Paul handed [the razor] to me and was like, ‘Okay, shave his face,’” Infiniti shared. Her initial reaction was pure shock. “I was like, ‘What?’ And he was like, ‘No, just go shave his face and just have a conversation.’”
The instruction was clear: this wasn’t about getting the perfect shave. It was about creating a dynamic. Infiniti, who plays DiCaprio’s daughter Willa in the film, was thrown into a situation that blurred the lines between actor and character. “I couldn’t tell if it was maybe me or maybe Willa,” she recalled. “It was kind of a gray zone.”
Forging a Bond Under Pressure
The exercise proved to be a masterstroke. Infiniti admitted she was “shaking” as she held the razor to the face of one of the world’s biggest movie stars, trying desperately to make his goatee even. Her verdict on her own handiwork was hilariously blunt: “It ended up being crooked, by the way.”
This “trial by fire” immediately broke down the barriers that might exist between a Hollywood veteran like Leonardo DiCaprio and a rising talent. The vulnerability of the moment fostered an instant connection that became the foundation for their powerful father-daughter relationship on screen. Infiniti said the chemistry with DiCaprio and co-star Regina Hall was “instant” and “magical,” crediting them for greeting her with warmth and excitement from day one.
From Razors to Rifles: An Actor’s Immersion
The unconventional challenges didn’t stop with facial hair. Infiniti also revealed the physical demands of her role, which included firing a machine gun—something she had never done before. “I was very nervous going into firearms training for it,” she explained, noting that the weapon was “incredibly heavy.”
This plot point serves as a powerful thematic link in the film, creating a “mirror image” with a scene where her on-screen mother, Perfidia, played by Teyana Taylor, fires a similar weapon while pregnant. The parallel highlights the inherited trauma and strength passed down through generations.
Infiniti shared a humorous anecdote from Taylor, who found an inventive way to manage the weapon’s weight. “[Teyana] said, ‘Yeah, that gun was so heavy, but it was great because I could rest it on my stomach,'” Infiniti recalled. “I was like, ‘I didn’t have that! I couldn’t rest it on anything!’ I had to sit there and hold it up.”
Why It Matters
These behind-the-scenes stories are more than just entertaining trivia. They offer a rare glimpse into the creative process behind a major motion picture and the lengths a director like Paul Thomas Anderson will go to elicit authentic performances. For a rising star like Chase Infiniti, these moments were formative experiences that bonded her with her legendary co-stars and pushed her to deliver a performance that is already generating significant buzz, a full account of which was detailed by Entertainment Weekly.
The crooked goatee and the heavy machine gun are testaments to the trust and dedication required to make a film like One Battle After Another. It’s a reminder that sometimes the most uncomfortable, unexpected moments are the ones that create the most unforgettable cinema.
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