James made an uncredited appearance in
Peter Jackson's
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug in 2013 while still at school. Her first significant role came in 2017 when, while still in high school, she was cast as the lead in the New Zealand fantasy film
The Changeover, directed by
Miranda Harcourt and
Stuart McKenzie and based on the
1984 novel by Margaret Mahy. Harcourt had first encountered James through her acting programme at Rata Studios. In a 2021 interview, she described filming the show in New Zealand as an "amazing" experience, noting that being surrounded by familiar people helped her navigate her first major American production. In 2023, she appeared in the Australian drama series
Bad Behaviour and the New Zealand film
Uproar, the latter alongside
Julian Dennison. In 2024, James starred as Nellie in
We Were Dangerous, the debut feature film of director Josephine Stewart-Te Whiu, which had its world premiere in the Narrative Feature Competition at the
2024 South by Southwest Film & TV Festival. Set in 1950s New Zealand, the film follows three young women at a reform school for girls. The film also lists
Taika Waititi among its producers. In 2025, James joined the main cast of the
FX science fiction series
Alien: Earth, created by
Noah Hawley and set in the
Alien universe, playing Curly — a synthetic human who is part of a group of child consciousnesses placed in adult bodies by a fictional corporation. The series premiered on 12 August 2025 and was renewed for a second season, with production scheduled to begin in London in 2026. Also in 2025, she appeared in two music videos for Australian musician
Vance Joy,
Divine Feelings and
Fascination in the Dark. ==Filmography==