Fries wanted to become an actress when she was 14 years old after watching
Léon: The Professional, because she was impressed by
Natalie Portman's performance. After making her debut in 2005, Fries has gone on to appear in almost 40 acting roles, the majority of which have come in German films and TV series such as
Zurich,
Add a Friend, and
The Wave. Her first film role was in
Atomised (2005) (German:
Elementarteilchen); however, her role was cut from the film. She then appeared in 2006 in an episode of
Schimanski, in which she played the female lead role. Fries performed in the German made-for-television film '''' (2010) as an aggressive, frustrated teenager named Linda who tortures one of her peers. Fries said that during filming, she started feeling lonely and isolated, just like her character. In 2013, she starred in the German tragicomedy
Zurich (original title ). She received critical acclaim for her performance as Lea, a young woman with
cystic fibrosis. According to Fries, she prepared for the role by meeting with a patient with the disease, in addition to running up stairs while breathing through a straw. For her role, she was awarded the Bavarian Film Prize in 2013, the Max Ophüls Prize, a German Film Critics Award, and the German Director's Prize. The first two seasons of the show were filmed over eight months beginning in May 2016 and released consecutively from October–December 2017.
Babylon Berlin has been very popular in Germany as well as with international audiences, and has elevated Fries to international prominence; Fries is considered one of Germany's upcoming stars and has been featured in many magazines. For her portrayal, Fries shared an
Adolf Grimme Award with the
Babylon Berlin team. The show went on a year-long production hiatus during which Fries filmed two projects; she played a recurring role in both seasons of the 2017 American TV series
Counterpart, and also co-starred in the film
Prélude with Louis Hofmann. In June 2020, production on a fourth season was underway and premiered in 2022. == Personal life ==