"Swank made her film debut in the 1992 comedy horror film "Buffy the Vampire Slayer", playing a small role, after which she acted in the direct-to-video drama "Quiet Days in Hollywood", where she co-starred with Chad Lowe, who would become her husband for a time.Her first leading film role was in the fourth installment of the "Karate Kid" series, "The Next Karate Kid" (1994), which utilized her gymnastics background and paired her with Pat Morita.