He had roles in films such as Thirteen (2003), Mysterious Skin (2004), Funny Games (2007), Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011), Melancholia (2011), and Clouds of Sils Maria (2014), as well as the series 24 (2006) and Olive Kitteridge (2014).

[4][5] Corbet began an acting career at age 11 with a guest role in an April 2000 episode of CBS' The King of Queens, and he followed it up with voice work in the English version of the Japanese anime series NieA under 7.

In 2004, Corbet starred as the youngest son of a billionaire ex-astronaut in Thunderbirds, Jonathan Frakes' live-action movie based on the 1960s British TV series.

Later that same year, Gregg Araki cast him in Mysterious Skin, based on the 1996 novel of the same name by Scott Heim; Corbet portrayed a troubled teen who is plagued by nightmares and believes that he may have been abducted by aliens.

In 2006, Corbet returned to television with a recurring role as the son of Jack Bauer's new girlfriend in the fifth season of Fox's Emmy- and Golden Globe–winning series 24.

[12] Since 2012, Corbet has been in a relationship with Norwegian filmmaker and actress Mona Fastvold, whom he met on the set of her film The Sleepwalker.