1993–2000: Early work Wood began her career appearing in several
television films that were shot in her native North Carolina from 1993 onwards. She had recurring roles in the television series
American Gothic (1995–1996) receiving a nomination for Best Supporting Young Actress in a TV Drama Series at the
21st Young Artist Awards for the latter. Wood's first major screen role was in the 1997 film
Digging to China, Wood remembers the role as initially hard, but that it "eventually led to her decision that acting is something she might never want to stop doing." It was followed by the 1999 made-for-television thriller
Down Will Come Baby, for which she was nominated for the
YoungStar Award for Best Young Actress in a Mini-Series/Made for TV Film. in what became the first teen lesbian pairing on
network television. For her performance as Jessie, Wood was nominated for the YoungStar Award for Best Young Actress, and won Best Ensemble in a TV Series along with her co-stars
Julia Whelan and
Meredith Deane, at the
22nd Young Artist Awards.
2001–2005: Breakthrough Wood made her teenage debut as a leading film actress in 2001's
Little Secrets, directed by
Blair Treu, where she played 14-year-old aspiring concert violinist Emily Lindstrom. For that role, she was nominated for Best Leading Young Actress at the
24th Young Artist Awards. Wood next played a supporting role in
Andrew Niccol's 2002 satirical
science fiction film
Simone. That same year, Wood was recognized as One to Watch at the
Young Hollywood Awards. Wood's breakout film role followed with
Catherine Hardwicke's 2003 film
Thirteen. She starred as Tracy Louise Freeland, a young teen who sinks into a downward spiral of hard drugs, sex, and petty crime. Her performance garnered critical acclaim, earning her
Golden Globe and
Screen Actors Guild nominations for Best Lead Actress. During the time of
Thirteens release, Wood was featured on the cover of
Vogue, with the magazine naming her as one of the "It Girls" of Hollywood. A supporting role in
Ron Howard's
The Missing, in which she played the kidnapped daughter Lilly Gilkeson, followed the same year, earning her a nomination for Best Leading Young Actress at the
25th Young Artist Awards. In 2005, Wood appeared in the
Mike Binder-directed
The Upside of Anger, a well-reviewed film in which Wood played Lavender "Popeye" Wolfmeyer, one of four sisters dealing with their father's absence. Her character narrated the film.
David Jacobson's
neo-western Down in the Valley premiered later that year, in which Wood's character, Tobe, falls in love with an older man, played by
Edward Norton, a cowboy who is at odds with modern society. Of her performance, it was written that "Wood conveys every bit of the adamant certainty and aching vulnerability inherent in late adolescence." Wood has commented on her sexually themed roles, saying that she is not aiming for the "shock factor" in her film choices. Also in 2006, Wood appeared with an all-star ensemble cast as Natalie Finch in the
comedy-drama film
Running with Scissors. Directed by
Ryan Murphy and starring
Annette Bening, the film was based on the
memoir by
Augusten Burroughs, which is a
semi-autobiographical account of Burroughs' childhood in a dysfunctional family. Wood had roles in two films released in September 2007.
King of California, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, tells the story of a bipolar jazz musician (
Michael Douglas) and his long-suffering teenage daughter, Miranda (Wood), who are reunited after his two-year stay in a mental institution and who embark on a
quixotic search for Spanish treasure. One review praised Wood's performance as "excellent." The second film was
Across the Universe,
Julie Taymor's
jukebox musical set to the songs of
the Beatles that was nominated for the
Golden Globe Award for Best Musical or Comedy. Set during the
counter-cultural revolution of the 1960s, Wood played Lucy, an American teen who develops a relationship with her brother's British friend Jude (
Jim Sturgess). The film featured her singing musical numbers, and she has described the role as her favorite. One critic wrote that "Wood brings much-needed emotional depth." Wood provided the voice of an alien named Mala in
Battle for Terra, a 2007 animated
science fiction film about a peaceful alien planet that faces destruction from colonization by the displaced remainder of the human race. Also in 2007, Wood starred in the
Vadim Perelman-directed
The Life Before Her Eyes, based on the
Laura Kasischke novel of the same name, about the friendship of two teens of opposite character who are involved in a
Columbine shooting-like incident at their school and are forced to make an impossible choice. Wood played the younger version of
Uma Thurman's character, Diana. One critic cited her performance as "hands-down extraordinary." Wood stated that she intended the film to be the last one in which she played a teenager. The following year, she co-starred in
Darren Aronofsky's
The Wrestler, winner of the
Golden Lion Award for Best Film at the
Venice Film Festival, about Randy "Ram" Robinson (
Mickey Rourke), a professional wrestler from the 1980s who is forced to retire after a heart attack threatens to kill him the next time he wrestles. Wood played Stephanie, Robinson's estranged daughter. Of her performance, one critic wrote, "Once her character stops stonewalling her father and hears him out, Wood provides a fine foil for Rourke in their turbulent scenes together."
2009–present: Further film and television career '' in April 2009 Wood co-starred in
Woody Allen's
Whatever Works, which premiered at the 2009
Tribeca Film Festival, playing the young wife of
Larry David's character. She later expressed regret for taking the role and that she would not work with Allen again. In May 2009, she played
Juliet in six fundraising performances of
William Shakespeare's
Romeo and Juliet at the Theater In The Park; the production was directed by her brother Ira, who also starred. That same year, Wood was named Young Hollywood Superstar at the Young Hollywood Awards. Wood had a recurring role in the second and third seasons of the
HBO supernatural drama series
True Blood, from 2009 to 2011, as
Sophie-Anne Leclerq. Wood had a role in the film
The Conspirator, which premiered at
Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C., in April 2011, directed by
Robert Redford (about the conspiracy surrounding the assassination of
Abraham Lincoln). She also had a role in
The Ides of March. She portrayed the title character's daughter in the 2011 HBO miniseries
Mildred Pierce, for which she was nominated for the
Golden Globe Award and the
Primetime Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actress. In late 2012 she began filming
10 Things I Hate About Life, a followup to the hit 1999 teen comedy
10 Things I Hate About You in which she and
Thomas McDonell played a couple who meet while attempting suicide. Filming was suspended when she became pregnant with her son; when it resumed again in 2013 Wood left the production, claiming she had not been paid beyond her $300,000 advance since the production company had not been able to raise enough money to pay her for the filming already completed. In response they sued her for $30 million. Wood starred with
Chris Evans in a 2010 ad campaign filmed by
Frank Miller for
Gucci Guilty Eau fragrances. They reprised their roles for additional ads in 2013 and 2016. Wood played Gabi in the 2013
psychological romantic thriller film
Charlie Countryman with
Shia LaBeouf and
Rupert Grint. She voiced Marianne in the 2015 film
Strange Magic. In 2016, Wood began starring as sentient android Dolores Abernathy in the HBO science fiction Western series
Westworld. Her performance was praised as "spectacular", "tour-de-force, turn-on-a-dime", as well as "a tremendous technical achievement". In August 2019, Wood announced on Twitter and
D23 Expo that she was cast to voice Queen Iduna in
Frozen II. The film was released in November 2019 to commercial success. She later featured in
Kajillionaire in 2020, and
Backspot in 2023. In January 2023, a workshop reading for
Thelma & Louise was held starring Wood along with
Amanda Seyfried. In 2024, she began starring in the
Off-Broadway musical revival
Little Shop of Horrors. ==Other ventures==