Rachael Leigh Cook's memorable  and  riveting  performance  in  the  1998  anti-heroin  "kitchen  smashing" public  service  announcement  ("This  is  your  brain...")  led  to  her  first  starring  role  in Miramax's breakout hit She's All That, the enchanting teen comedy costarring Freddie Prinze  Jr. Cook  next  put  her  comedic  ability  to  work  in  the  title  role  of  aspiring  rock star  Josie  McCoy  in  Josie and the Pussycats, alongside  Parker  Posey  and Rosario Dawson.

Cook starred with Hilary Swank and Colin Hanks in New Line's dark comedy 11:14 and with Sylvester Stallone in Get Carter. She also starred in The Big Empty, opposite John Favreau, and the romantic comedy Blow Dry, with Josh Hartnett. In Living Out Loud, Cook played the younger version of Holly Hunter's character. And in The House of Yes, she played a younger version of Parker Posey's Jackie-O character. More recently, Cook starred in the Warner Bros. feature film Nancy Drew, in which her character, Jane Brighton, is the subject of Nancy Drew's most pressing case.

On television, Cook  co-starred as Clara Wheeler in TNT's award-winning miniseries Into the West. She has also played a recurring role on the hit series Psych. Cook resides in Los Angeles with her husband, actor Daniel Gillies, as well as their three dogs and two cats.