Inde Navarrete is an American actress best known for her roles as Estela de la Cruz in 13 Reasons Why, Sara Cushing in Superman & Lois, and Nikki Freeman in the horror movie Obsession.
Born in Tucson, Arizona, Inde Navarrete grew up in a multicultural family with Mexican and Australian roots. Raised primarily by her mother alongside her older brother, she discovered acting while attending a YMCA summer camp, where she felt a calling to drama and dance. In a 2026 interview with People, she recalled being captivated by movies her mother watched at home, including Gladiator, Moulin Rouge!, and Alien, stating that she became fascinated by the emotions actors could convey on screen. Those experiences inspired her to pursue acting professionally, leading her to move to Los Angeles as a teenager.
Inde began building her resume through guest appearances on TV before landing recurring roles in several high-profile series. In 2020, she joined the fourth and final season of 13 Reasons Why as Estela de la Cruz, the younger sister of Monty de la Cruz. Introduced after Monty’s death, Estela struggles with the stigmas surrounding her brother’s death while attempting to understand what really happened and forges friendships with his former classmates.
While promoting the series in 2020, Inde discussed how Estela might have responded if Monty had spoken honestly with her about his own sexuality. In her interview with Seventeen magazine, she connected the storyline to her own identity, stating:
Being bisexual, I understand how much you could definitely keep it to yourself because it’s such a sticky subject. With my family being exposed to it earlier on with my cousin coming out, it wasn’t that big of a deal.
In 2021, she began playing Sarah Cushing in the CW’s Superman & Lois. Sarah is the rebellious older daughter of Lana Lang and Kyle Cushing and becomes involved with Clark Kent and Lois Lane’s sons after the Kent family moves to Smallville. Her relationship with Jordan Kent becomes one of the show’s central storylines, while Sarah also faces family issues, mental health, and uncertainty after high school.
Inde also told People en Español that Sarah was one of the first characters she encountered whose dialogue felt natural to her without the need to reconsider how someone from her background would speak. In that same interview, she also discussed being asked earlier in her career to misrepresent her ethnicity for a role. She described the pressure actors can face when the industry expects them to fit neatly into a category.
In 2025, Inde was cast in the film Trap House, where she played Teresa Flores as part of an ensemble cast that included Dave Bautista, Jack Champion, Whitney Peak, Kate del Castillo, and Tony Dalton. The movie follows a group of teenagers who use information stolen from their DEA-agent parents to rob cartel stash houses, placing themselves and their loved ones in danger. The project gave her experience in an action production while also connecting her to Capstone Pictures, one of the companies involved in her next film.
Her major film breakthrough came as Nikki Freeman in the 2026 film Obsession. She plays a friend and coworker of Bear, a young man who uses a magic object to wish that she would love him more than anything in the world. The wish strips Nikki of agency and transforms her affection into a violent fixation. In her People interview promoting the movie, Inde said that she wanted Nikki to remain recognizably human regardless of how extreme her behavior became. She was conscious of the “obsessive girlfriend” stereotype and wanted the film to examine the ramifications of what happens when a woman is labeled irrational without the people around her understanding what has occurred in private. She hoped viewers (especially women) would recognize some of Nikki’s fears surrounding love, desirability, and the pressures to become a different person to be loved or wanted.
Outside of acting, Inde has talked about her interests in gaming, anime, painting, podcasts, and horror films. Her career has demonstrated a broader range, and as she moves into new film projects, she joins a growing generation of openly bi celebrities building a career across mainstream TV, movies, and other big studio productions.}
