A native of Cherry Hill, New Jersey, Ali began modeling at age 13 and traveled the world before moving to Los Angeles to study acting. Her first professional acting job was a role on the television series "Chicago Sons" (1997).

Close friend and former roommate of Varsity Blues (1999) co-star Amy Smart.

Was part of a 1996 hoax by Esquire Magazine: they portrayed her as "Allegra Coleman", a hot young star, in a parody of fluff journalism.

Ranked #40 in Stuff magazine's "102 Sexiest Women in the World" (2002).

Was considered for the role Susan Storm/The Invisible Woman in Fantastic Four (2005).

For the scene in Varsity Blues (1999) where her character Darcy sports her whipped-cream-bikini, shaving cream was used because the whipped cream wouldn't stick right.

The original ending for Final Destination (2000) showed her character giving birth to the son of the central character, Alex, played by Devon Sawa, who was shown to have died in the original ending.

Ranked #6 on the Maxim magazine Hot 100 of 2007 list.