She has starred in the movies The Insider, End of Days, Space Cowboys, Scorched, 13 Going on 30, The Monogamy Experiment, The Midnight Game, and Unfriended. Olstead won a Young Artist Award in 2006 for Best Performance in a TV Series (Comedy) – Supporting Young Actress for Still Standing. As a singer she has released the albums Renee Olstead in 2004 and Skylark in 2009. She is a vegan and has appeared in an advertisement for PETA.