In 1987, she played the sensible, intelligent 18-year-old daughter of Patty Duke's lead character in the short-lived Fox comedy "Karen's Song" and had a guest-star role in an episode of "Night Court". In 1988, she made a short guest appearance in "" episode The Outrageous Okona as Lt. Robinson. In 1989, she guest-starred in an episode of "Quantum Leap" titled "Star Crossed" as the main character's mathematician/scientist future wife and guest-starred as a nude beauty pageant winner in an episode of "L.A. Law". That year she also made her motion picture debut with a minor role playing a young, opportunistic actress in "The Big Picture" starring Kevin Bacon, and then played Sylvester Stallone's younger sister, a dancer, in the big-budget, police action-comedy "Tango and Cash", which also starred Kurt Russell; it was a critical and box office disappointment.