Early in her career, Hawes featured in at least four music videos, for the singles "Saturday Night" by Suede, "Marvellous" by The Lightning Seeds, "Come Around" by The Mutton Birds, and "She's a Star" by James. She first came into the public eye in the 1990s, having supporting roles in Troublemakers, Dennis Potter's Karaoke (1995), Heartbeat (1995), The Beggar Bride (1997), and as the young Diana Dors in the biopic The Blonde Bombshell (1999).