Her participation in the 2003 Hollywood films Anything Else and Something’s Gotta Give led to her receiving significant parts in the horror pictures Anacondas and The Grudge (both 2004). in 2005, Strickland garnered positive critical comment for the romantic comedy Fever Pitch, and in 2007, she was a cast regular in the television show The Wedding Bells and subsequently was added to the cast of Private Practice. She has spoken of an affinity for her strong female characters and a desire to avoid sexualizing or sensationalizing her self-presentation as a woman. She was raised in Patterson, Georgia, which she said is a “one-stoplight town”, and she had a job picking tobacco on a local farm for eight years. She never considered a career in the performing arts until her participation in a one-act play performed by students of her high school: ” the minute I set foot on stage, that was it. Consequently, she applied instead to the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. When staying in Philadelphia, Strickland had opportunities to take part in other films in production in and around the city.
