Acting Monroe made her acting debut with a small role on
Eleventh Hour, a drama series. Three years later, she made her film debut in the 2012 drama
At Any Price, playing Cadence Farrow. She relocated to
Los Angeles for the film, and credits the part for encouraging her to continue acting. In 2013, she played a minor character in
Sofia Coppola's crime film
The Bling Ring. She next appeared in the drama film
Labor Day as Mandy, a farm girl who romances with a young man and eventually becomes his wife and the mother of his child. It is an adaptation of the
novel of the same name, and it was released that same year. In 2014, Monroe achieved a
career breakthrough with two films. She played Anna Peterson in the psychological thriller film
The Guest, and headlined the horror film
It Follows as Jamie "Jay" Height. The latter premiered at the
67th Cannes Film Festival and established Monroe as a
scream queen. Writing for
Entertainment Weekly,
Chris Nashawaty said the film was "airtight" because of "Monroe’s moody teenage authenticity". Both films garnered a
cult following while
It Follows ranks among the best horror films of the 2010s. In 2015, Monroe appeared in the Western film
Echoes of War. In 2016, she starred in the invasion thriller film
The 5th Wave, based on the
novel of the same name. Also that year, Monroe starred in the science fiction film
Independence Day: Resurgence, the sequel to
Independence Day (1996), playing former First Daughter Patricia Whitmore. In 2017, Monroe starred alongside
Timothée Chalamet in the neo-noir coming-of-age film
Hot Summer Nights as his girlfriend McKayla. In 2019, Monroe played Sandra in drama film
Honey Boy. In 2020, Monroe portrayed Cindy Williams in the Canadian mystery thriller
Flashback. In 2022, Monroe played Julia in
Watcher, the psychological thriller
feature directorial debut of
Chloe Okuno. In 2023, Monroe played Case in the film
God Is a Bullet, an adaption of the
1999 novel of the same name. Monroe was cast as Lee Harker in the horror film
Longlegs alongside
Nicolas Cage. Monroe said the role was "incredibly impactful for me. It also felt unique, and it was something I had never done. Lee is so incredibly different from who I am and how I move through life." On working with Cage, she said that "He's the best. He's such a genuine human." The film was released in 2024 and became the highest grossing
independent feature of that year. Monroe was confirmed to star in a sequel to
It Follows titled
They Follow, which will be distributed by
Neon. In 2025, Monroe starred in the historical fantasy romance film,
100 Nights of Hero, directed by
Julia Jackman, distributed by A24. The same year, she stared as Ava Bly in
In Cold Light (2025). In February 2026, she starred in
Evil Has Always Had a Name, a live-action trailer and short film directed by
Rich Lee and Franciska Friede to promote the video game
Resident Evil Requiem. In March 2026, she starred in Coleen Hoover's "Reminders of Him".
Other Monroe is also a professional
kiteboarder, as of 2015. == Personal life ==