Russell next starred in the film "Waitress", which marked the fourth time she played a pregnant woman. Her performance was positively received by critics, with Michael Sragow of "The Baltimore Sun" writing that Russell's performance had "aesthetic character" and "wields tenderness and fierceness with quiet heat". In 2007, Russell also completed roles in "Grimm Love" (titled "Rohtenburg" for its German release), in which she played Katie Armstrong, a graduate student who writes her thesis on an infamous cannibal murder case, and the thriller "The Girl in the Park".