[1] After playing a number of minor roles, Russell received recognition for starring in the Netflix science fiction series Lost in Space (2018–2021).

[6] Her parents faced financial struggles, leading the family to rely on welfare,[7] and they were frequently compelled to relocate, uprooting their lives a total of sixteen times to accommodate her father's professional pursuits.

[5] When Russell was thirteen she sang Happy Face by the girl group Destiny's Child in front of her entire school.

[13] The day before her first shift, she was in a traffic accident and received an $8,000 insurance settlement for her back injury, which she used to move to Los Angeles.

[13] Russell made her professional acting debut in 2012, with a small guest role in an episode of The CW medical drama series Emily Owens, M.D..[14] In 2014, she starred as Lark Voorhies in the Lifetime television film The Unauthorized Saved by the Bell Story,[15][16] and Jennifer in the Disney XD television film Pants on Fire.

[20][21] Essence magazine stated that she "impresses in her role as a genius medic and doctor, who is compassionate and caring even in the face of danger.

[30][31] Russell starred in Thor Freudenthal's romantic drama Words on Bathroom Walls (2020), alongside Charlie Plummer, Andy Garcia, and AnnaSophia Robb, which earned positive responses both from critics and audiences (89 and 94% "fresh", respectively, as of January 2022).

[36] Russell directed part of the music video for her Waves co-star Alexa Demie's "Leopard Limo (Archive LL11)", which also features her voice.

[37] The following year, Russell starred alongside Timothée Chalamet in the romance horror film Bones and All, directed by Luca Guadagnino.

[40][41] In 2023, Russell began starring as Connie in the play The Effect by Lucy Prebble at the Royal National Theatre in London.

[47] She is set to appear in the thriller Hope, from director Na Hong-jin, alongside HoYeon Jung, Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander.

[48] In July 2024 it was announced she would join the Luigi de Laurentiis jury panel for Best First Work at the 81st edition of the Venice Film Festival.

[49] The Heart Still Hums is a British-American short documentary film directed by Taylor Russell and Savanah Leaf.

[50] Creative director of the Spanish luxury brand Jonathan Anderson chose Russell after meeting her through mutual friend Luca Guadagnino.

[57] Following her red-carpet appearances on the Bones and All press tour, Vogue hailed her a "bold style renegade", writing "she’s in a total fashion league of her own, choosing unique looks that stray from the glitzy status quo.

[61] Speaking to Vogue, Russell was labelled a muse for Jonathan Anderson, who said: “When we work together it’s always an incredible creative dialogue – she is an amazing collaborator and a very special friend.