Like Summer Glau, Eliza Dushku is a Joss Whedon favorite and owes much of her career’s success to the filmmaker. But her background in New England certainly impacted her own interest in entertainment. Raised in Watertown, Massachusetts just west of Boston, Eliza was born to a Danish American mother and Albanian American father and was raised as a Mormon. A child actress in community theater soon gave way to roles in “This Boy’s Life” and the daughter to Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jamie Lee Curtis in “True Lies.”
Following completion of high school, Eliza embarked on her pivotal role as Faith in Whedon’s “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and its spin-off “Angel.” In the meantime, she continued steady work on the big screen in “Bring It On” and “Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back,” among others. But it was television in which Eliza thrived. She had the lead in “Tru Calling,” the two-season sci-fi drama on FOX, and following that show’s cancellation in 2005, Eliza seemed on her first uncertain path since the beginning of her career – a two year hodgepodge of appearances in films like “On Broadway,” “Bottle Shock” and “Nobel Son,” as well as an episode of “Ugly Betty.”
But 2008 has been a busy year, particularly filming “Dollhouse,” Josh Whedon’s new FOX series with Eliza. To showcase Eliza’s emergence onto a new level of her career, she is also one of the producers on “Dollhouse,” and CEO of her own production company, Boston Diva.
Iconic Character – Faith on “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” & “Angel”
For many fans, Eliza’s role as Faith on “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” & “Angel” will always be a favorite. We highlihgted this character in our “TV Girlfriends” feature in the “Mean Girls” catagory. Here’s what we said about the character:
“No matter how horrible her behavior is at times, Buffy Summers’ ultra-tough yet dysfunctionally vulnerable dark sister-in-slayerdom is impossible not to love just a little; no matter how noble her behavior may sometimes be, it’s impossible not to fear her just a little. Faith has jumped over the good-and-evil fence more than once over the years, but even assuming she doesn’t plunge a stake into your heart, her approach to men can be far too much like her approach to vampires. However, if you can be the one to find the human connection with her she so clearly lacks, the keys to a five-by-five paradise just may be yours.”
Faith scenes
Nice compilation of this lovely character . . .
Eliza on the Web
Eliza Dushku in Bikinis
Check out Eliza as she shops for bikinis!
Eliza Dushku on Instagram
Photos and more from beautiful Eliza.
“Dollhouse” Interview
Eliza talks about her new series “Dollhouse.”
Eliza on the Screen
Her debut was in 1992 as Alice Bloom in “That Night,” followed by “This Boy’s Life,” Dana in “True Lies,” Missy Pantone in “Bring It On,” Faith on “Buffy” and “Angel,” True Davies on “Tru Calling,” and Echo on Josh Whedon’s new FOX series “Dollhouse.”
Eliza Says
On coming into her own:
“I just turned 27 and I feel like I’m branching out into who I want to be in this business.”