Surles started her career as a senior in college at the University of Texas, working on Terrence Malick's Tree of Life.Since moving to California, she has already fostered a valuable body of work that encompasses both film and television. Surles acted alongside Reese Witherspoon and Paul Rudd in Academy Award winner James L. Brooks's comedy How Do You Know. She played the girlfriend of Yuki Matsuzaki, Owen Wilson's baseball teammate. She also performed in Fox's House and ABC's Mr. Sunshine with Matthew Perry.She also writes, performs improv and spoken word poetry in and around the Los Angeles area.