She began singing, dancing and acting at a young age, becoming the third generation in her family of performers; in 1945, her grandmother was the youngest ballerina to be offered a scholarship in the Brovansky Ballet Company in England.

Vinson made her acting debut portraying minor characters in two episodes of the Australian soap opera Home and Away in 2001 and 2003.

She initially auditioned for the role of Martha MacKenzie, but was cast as Cassie Turner, a troubled teenager who is taken into foster care after numerous run-ins with the police.

She has since appeared on a number of other American network television series such as NCIS and CSI: NY alongside former boyfriend A.J.

She also made a guest appearance on the final season of the CBS Crime television series Cold Case, which aired in 2010, and in the music video for Matchbox Twenty's "Put Your Hands Up".

[6] The film follows a group of people trapped inside a flooded supermarket, following a freak tsunami, with a 12-foot great white shark.

It received mostly positive reviews, with special regards for Vinson's performance; Total Film rated her character #1 on its list of '50 Most Bad-Ass Female Horror Leads'.

[9] Vinson portrayed nurse Kathy Jacquar, whose comatose patient Patrick uses his psychic powers to stalk her.

It premiered in July 2013 at the Melbourne International Film Festival and received a limited Australian theatrical release in March 2014.