2000s: Early work and recognition Benson began dancing competitively at age three, studying
ballet,
jazz,
tap and
hip hop. She began singing in choirs and musicals at a young age, performing a solo at her church at age four. When she was eight years old she signed with
Ford Models, and appeared in a number of print ads. Benson appeared on the daytime soap
Days of Our Lives as
Abigail Deveraux from 2004 to 2007. Nonetheless, she was "glad" to do her own stunts, even though she "wasn't expecting it to be so hard." Furthermore, she was excited to land a supporting role in
Bart Got a Room, which aired mainly on film festivals in 2008 before having a limited release in 2009, because it allowed her to work with
William H. Macy. In 2009, Benson starred in
ABC's short-lived supernatural comedy television series
Eastwick. The show was based on
John Updike's novel,
The Witches of Eastwick, and the
1987 film adaption of the same name. The series only lasted 11 episodes before ABC cancelled the series due to low ratings but has since gained a
cult following.
2010s: Transition to drama and breakthrough In December 2009, Benson was cast as
Hanna Marin in the
ABC Family mystery-thriller teen drama series
Pretty Little Liars, based on the
novel series by
Sara Shepard. Hanna is the "diva" and "
It girl" of the group, having taken
Alison DiLaurentis' place as the most popular girl at Rosewood High in Alison's absence. The series premiered to 2.47 million viewers with Benson's performance being praised by critics. She also received a number of awards and nominations. Benson reprised the role in the spin-off series
Ravenswood in two episodes. In 2010, Benson starred in the television film
Christmas Cupid alongside
Christina Milian and
Chad Michael Murray, which also aired on ABC Family. In January 2012, Benson was cast in the film
Spring Breakers, after
Emma Roberts dropped out due to creative reasons. The film centers on four college students who are arrested and bailed out by a drug and arms dealer, who sends them out to do some dirty work on
spring break. The film co-starred
Selena Gomez,
Vanessa Hudgens, and
James Franco. Filming took place in March and April 2012, and the film was released in March 2013. In the January 21, 2013, episode of the
CBS sitcom
How I Met Your Mother, Benson appeared as Carly Whittaker,
Barney Stinson's half-sister who dated
Ted Mosby. That same month, Benson became the face of eveningwear designer Faviana. She starred in the 2015 independent horror thriller film
Ratter, playing Emma Taylor, a girl who is stalked through her technological devices. That same year, she also appeared in
Pixels as Lady Lisa, a fictional game character brought to life. In 2016, Benson appeared in the biographical comedy-drama film
Elvis & Nixon as Margaret. In 2018, it was announced that Benson would star alongside
Cara Delevingne and
Elisabeth Moss in
Alex Ross Perry's
music drama film Her Smell, and the film received generally positive reviews. For the
film's soundtrack, Benson did
all her own vocals.
2020s: Music ventures and later return to film In 2020, Benson was featured on "
Creep" by
G-Eazy, a cover version of the
Radiohead song. She also appeared in the music videos previously for
NLT's "That Girl",
One Call's "Black Light", and
Hot Chelle Rae's "
Honestly". ==Personal life==