In 2008, Veerle Baetens gained recognition in Belgium for her portrayal of Sara in the Flemish version of the series Ugly Betty. She achieved international acclaim in 2013 thanks to her role in Alabama Monroe by Felix Van Groeningen, which earned her numerous awards, including Best Actress at the European Film Awards.
In 2015, she played one of the leading roles in Les Ardennes by Robin Pront. Since then, she has appeared in several feature films, such as Un début prometteur by Emma Luchini, Bluebird by Jérémie Guez, Des nouvelles de la planète Mars by Dominik Moll, Au nom de la Terre by Edouard Bergeon, and À l’ombre des filles by Etienne Comar.
In 2017, she co-wrote the screenplay for the Belgian series Tabula Rasa. In 2020, she received the Magritte Award for Best Actress for her role in Duelles by Olivier Masset-Depasse.
Her first feature film, Débâcle, was presented at the Sundance Film Festival and the Göteborg Film Festival, and received the 2024 Award for Best Flemish Film. Recently, she has appeared in Quitter la nuit by Delphine Girard, La Petite by Guillaume Nicloux, and Come Back by Jan Roosens and Raf Roosens.