[5] Dretzin made her professional acting debut in the 1993 Broadway play The Sisters Rosensweig as Tess Goode.
[10] In a 2001 review of the cassette audiobook Three Days by Donna Jo Napoli, the magazine AudioFile said: "Julie Dretzin's narration is low-key and consistently paced, building the suspense to the unexpected twists at the end.
Dretzin's vocal characterizations are there but subtle as most of the story is told inside Jackie's head; we hear softness and pain in Claudia's voice, a gruff quality for the old man".
[11] An AudioFile review of the audiobook The Adventures of Flash Jackson by William Kowalski stated, "The book keeps the listener alert with its humor, colorful characters, suspense, and, as read by Julie Dretzin, considerable charm.
[14] Dretzin received positive reviews for her role as Pamela in the crime drama television series Breaking Bad in 2010 and The Handmaid's Tale in 2018–2019.
Rebbekah Wiltons of Worldation wrote that "she is kind of a big deal" in reference to Dretzin's role in Breaking Bad.