In the intricate tapestry of life, it is always fascinating to witness the transformation of individuals who have faced adversity and emerged stronger, wiser, and more compassionate. Eliza Dushku, once a beloved figure on our television screens, has navigated her journey with grace, resilience, and an unwavering pursuit of healing – both for herself and others.
The character of Buffy the Vampire Slayer underwent a significant change following Eliza Dushku’s first appearance on the show during its third season. As Faith Lehane, Dushku introduced a more ruthless version of the Slayer, one who contrasted sharply with Sarah Michelle Gellar’s Buffy Summers. At 17 years old and already planning to leave high school for college, Dushku found the allure of the vampire drama too strong to resist. Faith quickly became popular among viewers, and what was initially intended as a three-episode arc expanded into a total of 26 episodes across both “Buffy” and its spin-off series “Angel,” shaping Dushku’s career significantly.
Ever since my days as Faith on Buffy, there have been whispers of a spin-off following the Slayer’s globe-trotting adventures on a motorcycle. However, I chose to explore other opportunities instead of revisiting that role. Now, more than 20 years later, you might be curious about where my career has taken me since then. If you’re one of those fans who have been wondering what became of this promising actress, stick around and let’s catch up!
She danced it off with Kirsten Dunst in Bring It On
During her time as Faith on “Buffy,” Eliza Dushku secured another role, that of Missy Pantone in Peyton Reed’s first directorial project, “Bring It On.” The “Bring It On” series evolved into a long-running direct-to-video franchise, with the original film earning cult status. This production brought Dushku alongside Kirsten Dunst (post-“Spider-Man”) and Gabrielle Union, who was fresh from “10 Things I Hate About You.” Reflecting on her past, Dushku told Entertainment Weekly in 2015 that she was a tomboy growing up and not particularly fond of cheerleading. However, despite her dislike for the activity, she attended the audition, possibly still feeling the effects of a hangover.
It’s clear that Reed was drawn to Dushku’s disdain towards cheerleading culture, and eagerly took the opportunity to cast her in the movie. “The most difficult part,” Dushku said, “was mastering those cheer faces. I was quite a scowling child. I managed the dance moves well, but they had to coach me extensively on just keeping that smile.” Although “Bring It On” became quite famous, it left an unusual mark with five direct-to-video sequels, a TV movie, and even a stage musical. However, Dushku didn’t participate in any of the subsequent productions.
Dushku headlined Tru Calling
After “Buffy” ended, Eliza Dushku took on the lead role in a series titled “Tru Calling” which aired on Fox. If you’re not familiar with it, it falls under those lesser-known TV shows that deserve another chance. Unfortunately, Fox decided to end the show during its second season, leaving viewers hanging with unanswered questions. However, despite the untimely termination of the series, Dushku delivered a compelling portrayal of young medical student Tru Davies.
Despite the fact that “Tru Calling” had no links to “Buffy,” the actress didn’t stray too far from supernatural themes, as Tru eventually learns she can re-live the present day to aid the deceased in avoiding death. This show concept is intriguing, and due to its uniqueness, some viewers still question why Fox chose to cancel it rather than promoting it more effectively. Given that this occurred around the same period when “Firefly” was also axed by the network, it’s not surprising. Besides Dushku, Zach Galifianakis and Matt Bomer played prominent roles on “Tru Calling,” before they became well-known figures in the movie and TV industries.
Not every TV pilot she made worked out
After the end of her show “Tru Calling,” Dushku returned to star in a new pilot series, starting with “Nurses” in 2007. She took over Katheryn Winnick’s role as Eve, but Fox didn’t pick up this comedy for broadcast, although some footage of the production is available online. This wasn’t her only attempt at a new series; in the following years, she was involved with another pilot on TNT called “Bird Dogs,” but left due to unspecified creative disagreements.
Following that point, Eliza Dushku became part of a CBS sitcom led by Damon Wayans, portrayed as a comedy based on sports radio and inspired by ESPN. This venture appeared promising, with Dushku expressing her delight through Facebook posts stating she was doing a “happy dance.” However, the pilot, later titled “Herd Mentality,” never came to fruition. The last television project Dushku filmed was a 2013 reboot of the popular 1960s series “The Saint,” where she starred alongside Adam Rayner. Tragically, this project almost vanished until it was later recut and released as an action movie lasting an hour and a half in 2017. To this day, it remains the last acting credit attributed to Eliza Dushku.
She partied with Simple Plan and Nickelback
During the early 2000s, Nickelback and Simple Plan were extremely popular bands, while Eliza Dushku, fresh off her roles in “Buffy,” “Bring It On,” and “Soul Survivors,” was constantly in the limelight. Coinciding with their teen comedy film “The New Guy,” Dushku and her co-star DJ Qualls reprised their characters Danielle and Dizzy, respectively, in Simple Plan’s 2002 hit music video for “I’m Just A Kid.” If you can recall this era, the music video itself feels like a condensed version of the movie, with Dushku and Qualls departing from the band contentedly at the end.
Apart from Simple Plan, another band from that era also managed to get Dushku in one of their music videos. In 2007, she made a brief appearance in Nickelback’s “Rockstar” video. It’s worth noting that Nickelback convinced a variety of people, ranging from passersby on the street to even Kiss legend Gene Simmons, to lip-sync a few lines from their hit songs. However, it’s Dushku’s fleeting cameo that grabs our attention the most.
Video games pulled her in
When the TV show “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” concluded, Eliza Dushku was invited to voice Faith for the 2003 game tie-in, “Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Chaos Bleeds.” This experience seemed satisfying enough that she agreed to return to voice acting in 2005, this time as Yumi in the English version of the Sega video game “Yakuza.” In 2008, Dushku was cast as Shaundi in “Saints Row 2,” although she would be replaced in the subsequent game, “Saints Row: The Third.” She also played the main character Rubi Malone in the 2009 third-person shooter “Wet.” A sequel was planned for this game, but another one of Dushku’s projects ultimately failed to materialize.
Apart from her acting roles in video games, Dushku is an avid supporter and enthusiast of them. In a 2011 interview with Us magazine, she expressed her love for voice acting in video games, saying, “I enjoy voicing video games so my nephews can ‘play’ me.” This passion has led her to participate in events like Spike TV’s Video Game Awards and even collaborate with IGN for a humorous rap titled “My Console” in 2012, where she advocated for the rights of female gamers everywhere.
Dushku was a favorite in the horror/thriller genres
During the early 2000s, following her roles in “Buffy” and “Tru Calling,” Eliza Dushku took on several horror and thriller movies. Although she was commonly seen in teen comedies, her performance in “Wrong Turn,” directed by Rob Schmidt, demonstrated that she could also star in a horror film. In this movie, she battled against cannibals to survive. Similar to “Bring It On,” “Wrong Turn” initiated a series, but Dushku declined to rejoin the franchise. However, 2008 stood out as an exceptional year for Eliza Dushku’s thriller films, with the release of three different movies in that genre.
The initial film was the indie horror movie titled “Open Graves,” featuring Dushku alongside Mike Vogel, known for “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.” This flick debuted on Syfy during fall and was later released on DVD. Following this, there was “The Thacker Case” (later renamed “The Coverup”), a crime-thriller based on real events where Dushku found herself embroiled in a puzzling death case. However, the most recognized of these productions is arguably “The Alphabet Killer.” This film, inspired by a series of murders that took place in Rochester, New York during the 1970s, brought Dushku together with director Rob Schmidt once more. The actress was given a more substantial role as investigator Megan Paige and also received an associate producer credit.
She convinced Joss Whedon to team up for Dollhouse
In 2007, Eliza Dushku, having spent several years off television, felt prepared to dive back into it. After reaching an agreement with Fox, she sought out “Buffy” creator Joss Whedon to collaborate on a new series for the network, and herself as the main character. During a lengthy lunch in 2009, Dushku playfully said to Suicide Girls, “I used my charm to persuade him. I shared with him how much I yearned for his return, and he agreed. Here we are today.” The collaboration resulted in “Dollhouse,” an intriguing sci-fi drama that revolved around individuals known as “Dolls,” who were hired out by clients for various assignments, meetings, or covert operations. Dushku, who co-created the series with Whedon, portrayed the main “Doll” character, Echo.
Despite the unfortunate cancellation by Fox during its second season due to low ratings, “Dollhouse” significantly impacted Eliza Dushku’s career by prompting her to explore the creative side of filmmaking. Regrettably, this groundbreaking sci-fi show, where she played the lead role and had a hand in creating, would be her last major TV series appearance as the main character.
She voiced a mean She-Hulk in Marvel’s animated projects
It appears that nowadays, it’s hard for actors to succeed in Hollywood without delving into the realm of comic book superheroes, and Eliza Dushku is no different. In 2013, she secured the role of Jennifer Walters, also known as She-Hulk, on the animated series “Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H.”, produced by Disney XD and Marvel Animation. This wasn’t her first stint as She-Hulk on TV, but it did team her up with her cousin and a fresh group of gamma-powered characters for 51 episodes. To put it simply, Dushku’s portrayal of She-Hulk was spot-on. She reprised the role in the “Ultimate Spider-Man” episode titled “Contest of the Champions: Part 4,” which served as a crossover event with her “Hulk” series.
However, it’s important to note that Elizabeth Dushku didn’t first appear as She-Hulk in animation; instead, she had a role on the DC Comics side earlier. In 2011, she voiced Selina Kyle, also known as Catwoman, in the animated film “Batman: Year One.” Following this, she got her own short animated film titled “DC Showcase: Catwoman” to further develop her character. These roles have certainly piqued our interest in seeing more of Elizabeth Dushku as a superhero.
Dushku made a documentary about Albania
In an unexpected twist, Eliza Dushku joined forces with her brother Nate Dushku in a 2015 travel documentary that led them to explore their family origins. Eliza’s grandparents on her father’s side, who were of Albanian descent, moved to the United States during the 1930s, leaving behind parts of their family history that she was eager to discover. Despite not having much knowledge about Albania in her early years, she has since developed a deep connection to her ancestry, and this documentary served as a significant step in strengthening that bond.
In her own production and starring role of “Dear Albania,” the actress discovered a piece of her past she hadn’t felt linked to before. As she shared with the Boston Herald in 2016 (via YouTube), there was little knowledge about her father’s motherland, making it rich in history that deserved to be explored. Now, the complete documentary can be found on YouTube for all to see.
She also has her own production company
Back in 2009, while I was shining on the set of “Dollhouse,” I also embarked on an exciting venture by establishing my own production company, Boston Diva Productions. This creative endeavor paved the way for me to secure a producer credit on the short-lived Fox series and my Albania documentary. However, the pièce de résistance of Boston Diva Productions is undoubtedly “Mapplethorpe.” A biographical film based on the life of renowned Boston photographer Robert Mapplethorpe, this 2018 production — featuring Matt Smith, who hung up his “Doctor Who” sonic screwdriver five years prior, in the leading role — was a passion project that my brother Nate and I had been working tirelessly on for over a decade before it graced our screens.
In 2018, the actress shared with Deadline that securing financing for an art film isn’t a walk in the park, as it’s not like producing a Marvel comic. While viewers took a liking to her film “Mapplethorpe,” critics were unimpressed, deeming it nothing extraordinary. Apart from “Mapplethorpe,” Boston Diva Productions acquired the rights to Glen Cook’s “Black Company” series of dark fantasy novels in 2017. However, there have been no updates on the project since then, despite initial plans for Dushku to star in its adaptation.
Dushku has mostly retired from acting
Even though Eliza Dushku’s last credited role was in the remake of “The Saint” due to its release date, she essentially stepped away from acting following her departure from CBS’s “Bull” in 2017. After joining the cast as J.P. Nunnelly in the final episodes of Season 1 (with plans to return as a series regular for Season 2), Dushku was let go after she spoke up against her co-star, Michael Weatherly, who she accused of sexual harassment. In her 2017 testimony via CNN, she stated, “In my first week on my new job, I faced constant sexual harassment from my co-star.
In the end, CBS proposed a $9.5 million settlement to Dushku, but she wasn’t content with the apparent lack of change. Later, she wrote an op-ed piece for the Boston Globe detailing her experiences on the set of “Bull,” and how she was let go in the midst of filming. Since then, she has moved away from the industry, discovering fresh avenues to achieve contentment in her life and career. Simultaneously, “Bull” persisted on CBS for six seasons before concluding in 2022.
She started a family and earned her college degree
Instead of attending college initially, Eliza Dushku opted for the role in “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” – a decision many might understand. However, she eventually returned to education, starting her studies in sociology at Suffolk University, where her mother was a teacher. Later, she switched to Lesley University to pursue holistic psychology. In 2020, she completed her undergraduate degree. Subsequently, Eliza embarked on a master’s program focusing on counseling and mental health, with a specialty in “psychedelic-assisted therapy,” as reported by the Boston Globe.
Apart from venturing into a different profession, Dushku chose to embark on a new journey by setting up her own family. In 2018, she tied the knot with Peter Palandjian, a real estate tycoon and former tennis player, in Boston, her hometown. A year later, they were blessed with their first child. Now, with two kids, Dushku and Palandjian have been channeling their energies into contributing to their local East Coast community.
Eliza Dushku is an advocate for psychedelics in therapy
More recently, Eliza Dushku, who is now a licensed therapist, intends to employ psychedelic substances in an effort to aid individuals grappling with mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, and PTSD. Having personally benefited from the use of psychedelics in overcoming her own past traumas, including the sexual abuse she experienced on the set of “True Lies” at a young age, Dushku aims to extend this healing experience to others.
In September 2024, Dushku shared with Boston magazine that she gained the opportunity to change her path and concentrate on personal healing to better assist others. Essentially, she expressed that it would be inappropriate not to disclose the transformation, tranquility, and enthusiasm she now experiences. Translation: Decades after “Tru Calling” ended, Dushku feels she has discovered her authentic life purpose.
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2024-10-23 14:30