She also appeared in the teen series Being Eve and Xena: Warrior Princess, and had a recurring role as Simula in Young Hercules.

[citation needed] Bruce soon began a busy acting career with stage roles that include starring in Hamlet (as Ophelia) and Cyrano de Bergerac (as Roxane).

Since then she has acted in more than 30 screen roles, including sizeable parts in two feature films: the 1990 chase comedy User Friendly, in which her character steals a keenly-sought dog statue from a crazed former boss; and 2001 feature Magik and Rose, which Bruce later described as a turning point in terms of the type of roles she is offered.

[2] The comedy-drama saw Bruce playing Magik, a fortune-teller who arrives in a Kiwi town in a house-truck, seeking the daughter she gave up for adoption many years before.

Bruce enjoyed the chance to take part in fight scenes, and "do all this stuff you normally don't get to do in television".