[4] During her time as an undergraduate, she volunteered with ArtsBridge, a program for at-risk youth in the Los Angeles area.

[1] She graduated from UCLA in 2002,[3][5] and went on to study acting at the Beverly Hills Playhouse (performing in plays with the organization's Katselas Theater Company).

[1] She also continued stage work, appearing in Peter Lefcourt's play La Ronde de Lunch in Los Angeles in 2009.

[6] When Gubelmann's agent sent her the script for Wilfred, she said that she "absolutely fell in love with it", although "didn't quite get the whole guy in the dog suit thing".

She also auditioned with Elijah Wood and Jason Gann so producers could see if she had on-screen chemistry with her potential co-stars, and was tested a final time before winning the role.