After beginning her modeling career, Rubin was named the Ford International Model of the Year in 1984. She was the original model for Calvin Klein Obsession ads, and also modeled in Vogue.

Rubin's first acting role was as Taryn in the 1987 hit horror film, A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors. She later starred in films like Bad Dreams (1988), and played socialite Edie Sedgwick in Oliver Stone's biopic The Doors (1991); in preparing for the role, Rubin met with Bob Dylan, who had had a relationship with Sedgwick. She later appeared in the thriller The Crush (1993) opposite Alicia Silverstone and Cary Elwes, and the horror film Screamers (1995), and several made-for-television films.
 

She has made guest appearances on TV shows, including The Twilight Zone, Miami Vice, Tales from the Crypt, and The Outer Limits. She also appeared in the Chris Isaak video Somebody's Crying. As of October 2006, she was working on a novel and working in real estate. In 2014 Rubin attended several horror conventions related to her work in the genre, as she has often done in the past years.