Originally from Allentown, Pennsylvania, Conlin moved to New York to attend New York University. In 2001, when she was 22 years old, she landed a part on Law & Order, playing someone on a reality TV show. This proved prophetic: Conlin's next big job was on an episode of Bravo's reality series The It Factor, which followed aspiring actors in New York. (Other subjects of the short-lived documentary series included Jeremy Renner and Katheryn Winnick — which might be one reason why Lagertha from Vikings looks so familiar.)
After struggling to find work in New York, Conlin moved to Los Angeles. There, she landed her first major role on medical drama MDs, a would-be ER competitor with a stellar cast including John Hannah, Jane Lynch, and William Fichtner. MDs only ran for eight episodes, leaving Conlin — as she put it in a chat with The Morning Call – "back to square one."
The main difference in Conlin's appearance in these early years was her hairstyle. Even glamorous Hollywood actresses weren't immune to the questionable cuts of the early '00s, and back then, Conlin was wearing her now long black hair in a short and spiky bob.
After MDs, Conlin went back to scraping by with small parts on hit shows. She wore her hair in a military-mandated bun for her next TV role, on an episode of JAG. (The untold truth of JAG is that the show gave lots of actors early credits — including future star Catherine Bell.) It was smart, if a little dull (Angela wouldn't approve), but that would change with her next big part — and big disappointment.
