Rya Kihlstedt made her film debut in 1993, starring opposite Rutger Hauer in Arctic Blue. She later gained significant recognition with her role as Alice Ribbons in the 1997 family comedy Home Alone 3, followed by an appearance in the 1998 science-fiction film Deep Impact. In the same year, Kihlstedt co-starred with Carla Gugino in the independent film Jaded and appeared alongside Peter Gallagher in the television film Brave New World, based on Aldous Huxley’s novel. After a hiatus from screen acting between 2001 and 2009, Kihlstedt returned with roles in Women in Trouble (2009) and its sequel, Elektra Luxx (2010), both alongside Carla Gugino.
Her versatility extended to voice acting, originating the role of Kate Laswell in the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare video game (2019). In 2019, she earned a Canadian Screen Award nomination for Best Guest Performance, Drama Series for her work in Cardinal. Most recently, Kihlstedt has taken on notable roles in major franchises. In 2022, she appeared as Ally Allston in The CW’s Superman & Lois and as the formidable Fourth Sister in Lucasfilm’s Obi-Wan Kenobi for Disney+.
Expanding her voice work in 2024, she returned to the Star Wars universe, voicing Lyn Rakish (Fourth Sister) in Star Wars: Tales of the Empire. Kihlstedt is also set to appear as Darlene Campbell in the highly anticipated feature film Final Destination: Bloodlines, slated for release in 2025.