Born and raised in Vancouver, B.C., Kreuk began acting in plays in high school, but mostly focused on her schoolwork rather than the stage. Fate came calling at the beginning of her senior year when a casting director looking for new talent for the television series Edgemont tapped Kreuk for a starring role. It was her first professional audition.
Since then, she has starred on the Canadian series for three seasons and will continue her role while filming the second season of Smallville. She was also chosen as one of the new faces of Neutrogena and started an advertising campaign with them in 2002.