Shawnee Smith's first appearance in a feature film was in the 1982 film adaptation of the play Annie. Several years later, she starred in the hit 1987 comedy film Summer School as the pregnant teen Rhonda Altobello and in the 1988 remake of the Steve McQueen classic The Blob as Meg Penny. She is also well known for her role in the 2004 horror film Saw as Amanda Young, reprising the role for the sequel, Saw II. In the DVD commentary of Saw II, it was revealed that Shawnee was four months pregnant with her second child during filming. Smith also reprised her role in the second sequel Saw III.