Modeling

In 1993, Kruger represented Germany in the Elite Model Look^[12] and started modeling afterwards. Despite her relatively short stature for a model, she managed to land bookings such as advertisements from Yves Saint Laurent, Chanel, Salvatore Ferragamo, Giorgio Armani, Jil Sander, Christian Dior, Burberry and Louis Vuitton; runway shows from Marc Jacobs, D&G and Sonia Rykiel; and appearances on the cover of Vogue Paris, Marie Claire and Cosmopolitan to her modeling repertoire.^[13] She gradually stopped modelling after deciding to pursue a career in acting.

Acting

Kruger became interested in acting and took lessons at the Cours Florent. She made her film debut in 2002, opposite Dennis Hopper and Christopher Lambert in The Piano Player, a TV film by Jean-Pierre Roux. The same year, she also starred in her then husband's directorial début Mon Idole.

She played Julie Wood in 2003's Michel Vaillant and Lisa in Wicker Park (2004), alongside Josh Hartnett and Rose Byrne. One of her more high-profile roles to date is her portrayal of Helen of Sparta in Wolfgang Petersen's epic Troy. In 2004, Kruger starred with Nicolas Cage and Sean Bean (who co-starred with her in Troy) in the film National Treasure, going on to appear in films Joyeux Noël (2005) and Copying Beethoven (2006). She reprised her role as Dr. Abigail Chase in National Treasure: Book of Secrets, released in December 2007.

Kruger was the hostess of the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2007 Cannes Film Festival.^[14] Kruger was a jury member of the 58th Berlin International Film Festival in 2008. The festival is chaired by Costa Gavras.

In 2009, she co-starred as a German actress turned Allied spy in Quentin Tarantino's film Inglourious Basterds. In December 2009, she announced the nominations of the 67th Golden Globe Awards and also picked up nominations from the Screen Actors' Guild for Best Supporting Actress and Outstanding Performance by a Cast of a Motion Picture for her role in Inglourious Basterds.^[15]

Kruger played Anna in Jaco Van Dormael's Mr. Nobody. Critical response has praised the film's artistry and Kruger's acting.^[16] Kruger made a cameo appearance in an April 2010 episode of the Fox show Fringe, in which her former boyfriend, actor Joshua Jackson, starred. In 2010, Kruger also appeared in Mark Ronson's music video for "Somebody to Love Me", where she plays Boy George.

In the 2011 film Unknown, Kruger starred as Gina, a Bosnian undocumented immigrant, and key character alongside leading actor Liam Neeson.^[17] It was also announced in 2011 that Kruger had replaced Eva Green in the role of Marie Antoinette in the French-language film, Les Adieux à la Reine.^[18] In 2012, she was named as a member of the Jury for the Main Competition at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival.^[19] The festival is chaired by Nanni Moretti. She starred in the film adaptation of Stephenie Meyer's novel The Host, which was released in March 2013.^[20] More recently, Kruger portrayed El Paso, Texas, police officer Sonya Cross on FX's The Bridge, which aired in 2013.^[21] In 2015, she was named as a member of the Jury for the Main Competition at the 2015 Venice Film Festival. In 2016, she co-starred in The Infiltrator with Bryan Cranston and John Leguizamo.

In 2017, Kruger made a rare film appearance in Germany in the thriller In the Fade by Fatih Akin, for which she won several awards. In 2019, Kruger replaced Marion Cotillard in the spy movie The 355,^[22] playing a BND agent.

In 2022, Kruger starred in the thriller Out of the Blue, opposite Ray Nicholson, son of Jack. The following year, she joined the cast of David Cronenberg's The Shrouds, replacing Léa Seydoux.^[23] She will portray three different characters in the film.^[24]

Film

Television