She has appeared as a guest star in several television series and has acted in the feature films: Kabluey (2007), On the Doll (2007), A Beautiful Life (2008), The Informers (2008), A Good Old Fashioned Orgy (2011), Lost & Found in Armenia (2012), and Reminiscence (2021).

When she was four, she moved with her parents – actor Grigor Sarafyan and her painter mother – to the United States, settling in Los Angeles.

Sarafyan later made a guest appearance on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and starred in the television film Paranormal Girl in 2002.

Sarafyan continued with her work on television with roles on The Shield, The Division, Wanted, South of Nowhere, 24, CSI: NY, Lincoln Heights, Cold Case, In Plain Sight, and The Mentalist.

In 2008, Sarafyan starred in her first lead role as Maggie in the drama film A Beautiful Life opposite Jesse Garcia.

The film follows a mysterious director staging a play to bring the ghosts of a forgotten tragedy back to life on the 100th anniversary of the Armenian genocide.

[15][16] The role earned Sarafyan a nomination at the 23rd Screen Actors Guild Awards for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series with her co-stars.

In 2019, Sarafyan played a supporting role as Joanna in the Netflix biographical thriller Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile starring Zac Efron and Lily Collins,[19] and as Max in the video game Telling Lies.

In 2021, Sarafyan contributed to a supporting role in Reminiscence starring Hugh Jackman, Rebecca Ferguson, and Westworld co-star Thandiwe Newton.