Editor’s note: The below interview contains spoilers for the Presumed Innocent finale.

The Big Picture

Jaden, not Barbara, is the killer in the
Presumed Innocent
finale, a shocking twist.
Chase Infiniti learned her character’s true role in the script, surprising everyone.
Infiniti prepared for her character’s intense moments by focusing on family protection and guilt.

If you haven’t watched the finale of Presumed Innocent, or haven’t even started it, you better get out of this interview, go and watch all eight episodes, and come back, because you do not want to spoil this major twist. The eight-part legal thriller follows Jake Gyllenhaal’s Rusty Sabich as he’s tried for the murder of his colleague and mistress Carolyn Polemus. The show doesn’t just focus on Rusty, but on his wife, Barbara (Ruth Negga), two teenage children, and the rest of the district attorney’s office, mainly his opponent, Tommy Molto (Peter Sarsgaard), and boss and ally, Raymond Horgan (Bill Camp). In the explosive finale, we see Rusty being found not guilty of the murder, and in the very final moments, it’s finally revealed who really hit Carolyn Polhemus (Reinate Reinsve) over the head with a fire poker, killing her when she was a few weeks pregnant with Rusty’s baby.

Like many, I thought this interview would be with Ruth Negga, as Barbara is the killer in Scott Turow’s 1988 novel, which was famously adapted for the screen two years later with a film starring Harrison Ford and Bonnie Bedelia. Of course, Apple TV+’s modern adaptation did make some deviations from the source material throughout the season, so the change in the killer’s identity was always a possibility. But who could have possibly thought it would be Rusty’s sweet, intelligent, and terrified daughter Jaden, played by Chase Infiniti, who not only killed Carolyn but also broke into Tommy Molto’s house and left the poker with a threatening message? After the finale’s premiere on Apple TV+, Infiniti answered some of our most burning questions about that shocking climax.

Presumed Innocent (2024) It tells the story of a horrific murder that upends the Chicago Prosecuting Attorneys’ office when one of its own is suspected of the crime.Cast Jake Gyllenhaal , Tate Birchmore , Kingston Rumi Southwick , Roberta Bassin Main Genre Drama Seasons 1

Did Chase Infiniti Know That She Was the Killer in ‘Presumed Innocent’?

COLLIDER: How far into the process did you find out Jaden was the killer, and how did it feel when you found out?

CHASE INFINITI: I found out when I received the script. No one had any idea who the killer was until the script was published.

What was your process for getting into Jaden’s headspace when she killed Carolyn? When Rusty thinks it’s Barbara, he talks about a person detaching from themselves and blacking out. Do you think that’s what happened with Jaden?

INFINITI: I wish I could say I had a specific, meticulously planned out routine that I went through, but I didn’t. In reality, l used two elements to center myself into that moment: her wanting to protect her family that was being pulled apart, and the guilt of dealing with her actions. It was such a high-intensity moment that she had no control over.

7:48 Related How Much of an Influence Was the Harrison Ford Film on Apple’s ‘Presumed Innocent’ Series? David E. Kelley also reveals why he kept most of the scripts from the cast and the status of ‘Big Little Lies’ Season 3.

Chase Infiniti Reveals the Backstory She Created for Jaden
The show doesn’t reveal how Jaden came to make this decision, nor how she found out about the affair. Did you make up a scenario in your head to get into character?

INFINITI: I created a short timeline for her, which essentially mapped out when she found out about the affair, whether or not she knew that the affair happened once or twice, and what made her decide to go to Carolyn’s house. In her eyes, it felt like an unplanned choice to protect her family from the very thing that was destroying it. In my mind, it was never something premeditated.

We’ve seen a lot of kid killers crop up on TV recently, including Mare of Easttown and Defending Jacob, for example. Did you watch any specific movies or shows, or look into real-life child killers, to get into character?

INFINITI: I went in with a clean slate because I didn’t want to unintentionally go into the scene with another performer’s interpretation playing in my mind. I did look into cases of killers who dissociated while committing their crimes or those who even have no recollection of the crime itself.

Chase Infiniti’s Next Project Will See Her Working With Paul Thomas Anderson
Image via Collider

We’ll be seeing you next in a film by Paul Thomas Anderson. What is it like to work with him?

INFINITI: Working with Paul Thomas Anderson has been such a fulfilling experience. He has such a strong, clear vision with the film and celebrates creative freedom with character choices. No day is ever the same as the last, and I can always count on walking into a collaborative space where we are working incredibly hard to tell this special story.

All eight episodes of Presumed Innocent are available to stream on Apple TV+.