In 1921, Tashman made her film debut playing Pleasure in an allegorical segment of "Experience", and when "The Gold Diggers" closed she appeared in the plays "The Garden of Weeds" and "Madame Pierre". In 1922, she had a small role in the Mabel Normand film "Head Over Heels". Her personal and professional lives in 1922 were not entirely satisfactory (best friend Edmund Lowe moved to Hollywood, for example, and she was fired from "Madame Pierre") so she relocated to California and quickly found work in films. In 1924, she appeared in five films (including a cinematic adaptation of "The Garden of Weeds") and received good reviews for "Nellie, the Beautiful Cloak Model" and "Winner Take All". She freelanced, moving from studio to studio, but signed a long-term contract in 1931 with Paramount. She made nine films for the studio.