Wright's career began in modeling when she was 14 years old. She traveled to a number of countries for modeling before getting her first minor acting role in the 1998 comedy
Enchanted. At 18, she had moved to
Chicago, Illinois and was working in commercials. Wright booked her first television pilot in 2004 and shortly moved to
Los Angeles, California. This was her first big break, playing the role of Paige Cha se in the short-lived sitcom
Quintuplets, with
Andy Richter and
Rebecca Creskoff as her parents. From 2006 to 2007, Wright also had a recurring role as Jane on the
CW drama series
7th Heaven. She also co-starred in the
Fox sitcom
The Loop as Lizzy. The show ran for two seasons before being canceled in 2007. In 2008, she had a role
Fred Wolf's comedy film,
The House Bunny. Her role, Ashley, was as a rival to
Anna Farris,
Emma Stone, and
Kat Dennings' characters. She followed this with a number of guest appearances in the following years, including shows such as
Accidentally on Purpose, Mad Men, How I Met Your Mother, and
The Middle. In 2011, Wright began a recurring role in the
CBS mid-season replacement comedy series
Mad Love and maintained a small recurring role as Millicent Gergich on the
NBC mockumentary sitcom show
Parks and Recreation. She would go on to appear as the main love interest in the 2013 comedy film,
21 & Over, alongside
Justin Chon,
Miles Teller, and
Skylar Astin. From 2014 to 2015, she had a main role in
NBC's sitcom,
Marry Me, as Dennah before it was canceled. In 2017, Wright co-starred alongside
Tom Cruise in the action crime film
American Made where she portrayed Lucy Seal. Her character was loosely based on Debbie Seal, the wife to American drug smuggler,
Barry Seal. The cast also featured names such as
Domhnall Gleeson,
Alejandro Edda, Mauricio Mejía,
Caleb Landry Jones and
Jesse Plemons. The film received generally positive reviews and grossed $134 million worldwide. The following year, she landed the leading role in the CW's adaption of
Carl Hiaasen's
Skinny Dip, however the series was not picked up following the pilot. She had a major role as Mandy Davis, the matriarch of the Davis family, in the 2020
Netflix's
figure skating drama series,
Spinning Out. The show received mixed reviews and was canceled the following month. This was followed up with a brief appearance in the sitcom
Home Economics in 2021 before she took a break from acting. The following year, she released her first children's book
Happiness is the Journey!, inspired by her daughter's experiences with online-learning during the
COVID-19 pandemic. She made her return to acting in 2026, when she had a guest appearance on the
CBS legal drama series
Matlock. She portrayed Gwen, an efficiency expert analyzing the law firm. Her second children's book
When I Am Not with You: How We’re Together, Even When We’re Apart is set to come out in September.
Lifestyle and health She and actress
Teresa Palmer co-founded the parenting site Your Zen Mama in 2016. The website focuses on connecting mothers through their experiences of birthing and parenting. She also co-authored the book
Zen Mamas: Finding Your Path Through Pregnancy, Birth and Beyond. The book shares information and advice on pregnancy, postpartum, miscarriages, breastfeeding, and caring for newborns. The two also share a podcast, "The Mother Daze," where they discuss womanhood and motherhood. She and Palmer took the podcast on tour in 2025. ==Personal life==