Cairns has appeared in CTV's anthology series Robson Arms, in Citytv's Godiva's, where she was nominated for a 2006 Leo Award (British Columbia's version of the Emmys) for Best Supporting Performance by a Female in a Dramatic Series, and opposite Al Pacino in the feature 88 Minutes. She also appeared in the vampire thriller Blood Angels (aka Thralls). During her season 3 BSG hiatus, she signed on to play the role of Emily Hollander on the ABC Family series Kyle XY. Cairns is also a cast member of Sanctuary, created by Damian Kindler of Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis. It is billed as "the first broadcast quality, HD drama series designed specifically for the internet". Eight webisodes have been filmed so far. She also appeared in the TV show Supernatural in season 2, episode 8 "Crossroad Blues" as a minor character, and in Christopher Nolan's film Interstellar. Cairns is currently on Netflix Travelers.