Eliza Dushku

Eliza Dushku is an actress who has appeared in movies such as Bring It On and Wrong Turn. She is also known for her recurring appearances on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel as Faith, and she played the protagonist in the series Tru... [more]

Add Content

RSS

view more pictures

Source: Photo Agency

Interview with Eliza Dushku

Eliza Dushku's new show Dollhouse is hard to explain, so bear with us. She plays an agent who has a new personality implanted in her for each mission. When it's over, she gets wiped clean. So people hire her to become people who'll get the job done. One week she's a Muay Thai fighter, the next she's an intellectual braniac. Oh, it's from Joss Whedon, creator of Buffy, the Vampire Slayer.

Zimbio: Which of the personas that you’ve played so far have you enjoyed the most?
Eliza Dushku: Honestly, the Amish girl threw me for a loop and I thought, “This is going to be so crazy for me,” and I loved it. I was playing this blind woman, and they implant cameras into her eyeballs and send her into a cult, so they can get information through her eyes. The woman that she’s imprinted to be went blind at age eight and she’s this religious, lovely, open, hippie, garden of God momma. She believes she is led by God to this compound. It was actually really fun. I did some research. We had a lovely woman come down and spend the day with me, and she also went blind after having had sight for the first years of her life. Just doing the research and trying to realistically and authentically play each character as an individual, is what’s cool. That one was very exciting for me. Also, Tahmoh [Penikett] and I have a great rough-house scene where I’m imprinted as a highly intelligent, super-fierce assassin. That was one of my favorites as well.

Eliza Dushku in Ports 1961 - Front Row - Fall 08 MBFW

Zimbio: How much time do you have to prepare for each new skill set?
Eliza Dushku: It’s on the fly, I’ll tell you that much. We get an episode, and we’re shooting the next day. It’s like, “Hey, can I get a tape of this kind of accent?” Or “Can I get a tape of this language?” It’s a good thing I’m a quick study, and I’m a pretty good mimic. That’s helpful. I work out every day, and I’ve been physical since I came out of the womb. I grew up with three older brothers, and I’ve always been game for everything. That was one of the connections that Joss and I had, way back in the Buffy days. I showed up and was like, “Who’s that girl dressed like me? I don’t need a stunt double. Just throw me in the action. Throw me off a building." I love it!

Zimbio: Is it hard to give up some of those special skills since, by the next personality, they’re no good anymore?
Eliza Dushku: Sure. Then she’ll be imprinted as a young woman who’s being abused or being beat down and you think, “Man, those ninja skills would be cool right now.”

Eliza Dushku in Ports 1961 - Backstage - Fall 08 MBFW

Zimbio: Have you ever wished, in your own life, that you could have some of your memories wiped clean?
Eliza Dushku: Absolutely! There are many things that I’d like to forget. At first thought, I would want to forget them, but actually, truly, deep-down, I would not because they’re all the sum of who I am. My grandmother passed away this year. She was going through dementia in her final years, and it was just fascinating to me. We spent so much time together, so to see that immediate switch and that immediate confusion, it was heartbreaking, but also a fascinating look at our brains and our make-up.

Zimbio: Is there more to this role than just being an actress, since you have to be somebody new, every week?
Eliza Dushku: That’s why I’m in this business. I love people, and I love people’s stories. My mother is a political science professor, and we’ve traveled around the world, since I was very young. She would take groups of students, in the event that she could always bring a kid, so we’ve traveled. One of the things we did was just hear people’s stories. People just want to be heard. I think Oprah said that somewhere. The greatest gift that you can give to anyone that you meet is to promise that you’ll share their story. I feel like that’s what I have the opportunity to do, in this business. The more authentically and realistically we can do that, the better, the more I feel fulfilled and enjoy the work.

Eliza Dushku in The 2009 Film Independent's Spirit Awards 3

Zimbio: What are some of the difficult choices you've had to make along the way?
Eliza Dushku: Well, one was if I was going to continue acting. I never wanted to be an actress. My mother is a college professor and said, "Thank you very much, but a screen test in L.A. isn't really the kind of life I want for my daughter." My mother never pushed it. It was sort of random. It just sort of went along, but then I hit a point where I went OK, but I always wanted to go to school and do other things. I was enrolled at Suffolk University in Boston where my mom teaches when I was 17 when I graduated high school. I had my dorm room and was all ready to begin my life normally. Then after seven years of playing De Niro and Schwarzenegger's daughters, all these random roles, it just happened. I got called out to do Buffy and wanted to make some money for tuition for school, and then Buffy turned into [a phenomenon]. I don't know, a choice was definitely, "Okay, what am I going to do? Am I going to go try to figure out what do I want to do when I really grow up, or am I going to do this thing that landed in my lap?" Now I'm 27 and I just started a production company so I guess I've made some choices that I didn't originally expect.

Zimbio: How did you get into acting if you weren't trying?
Eliza Dushku: My brother is an actor, but I've never really studied acting. I tripped and fell at one of his auditions when I was nine and got my first part, and it's been really good luck ever since. In terms of my process or what I do, I always loved hearing Anthony Hopkins in Silence of the Lambs when they asked him how he played that character so well. He said, "I acted like what I thought someone crazy would act." So you can come up with these profound descriptions or processes, but sometimes you also just read it and try to put yourself in that position and just kind of become it.

For the complete Eliza Dushku photo gallery, click here.

Articles

Sorted by: Top Picks

+ write article

Eliza Dushku in Self magazine (October 2009)

Written by

cccharish on

From: www.celebritymood.com

Eliza Dushku in Self magazine (October 2009) Eliza Dushku and Dollhouse costar Dichen Lachman reveal their best moves to get lean in the October 2009 issue of Self magazine. “I’m addicted to endorphins: good, clean, healthy and free… I really pump it up with a little competition” says Dushku. Read Full Story

Add Comments

Joss Stone Hot Photos At 2009 MTV Europe Music Awards

Written by

meetsexygirl on

From: www.meetsexygirl.com

Today we have Joss Stone hot photos at 2009 MTV Europe Music Awards.Enjoyed ! Related posts: Sexy Girl Joss Stone Latest Photos At Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival A sexy girl is a person with feelings and your... Eliza Dushku Latest Photos At Spike TV’s Scream 2009 Awards Actress Eliza Dushku arrives at Spike TV’s Scream 2009 held... Beyonce Sexy Photos At 2009 MTV Video Music Awards Beyoncé was the big winner at the MTV Video Music... Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin . Read Full Story

Add Comments

POLL: Who Wore It Better — Eliza Dushku vs. Chloë Sevigny

Written by

jesrod on

From: asearchforpeople.com

Both Eliza Dushku and Chloë Sevigny wore the same Kimberly Ovitz dress, but… Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll. Read Full Story

Add Comments

Eliza Dushku – Scary Costume Halloween Party 2009

Written by

igoceleb on

From: igoceleb.com

Eliza Dushku in Scary-Costume Halloween Party 2009.. Hollywood movie star Eliza Dushku really looks scariest in Halloween Party Costumes, scaring away many brave-guests and of course You too.. ... Visit: iGoCeleb.com for full links, photos, videos other content, and more! Read Full Story

Add Comments

Eliza Dushku and Dichen Lachman’s Sexy Body Secret

Written by

xiaolisamie on

From: www.hollyhotty.com

The ever lovely Eliza Dushku is in her best shape as she poses in Self Magazine. Along with her Dollhouse co-star Dichen Lachman , both revealed the sexiness through proper fitness work. Both ladies looks great, they are perfect for me (joke). Look on their moves from the pictures shown and it tells you that the proper workout is by following their actions not by stalking them. The perfect way to get lean with the ambience of nature makes the exercise more enjoyable and fun. Related Post Eliza Dushku in Complex Magazine Eliza Dushku Complete Picture Dollhouse Eliza Dushku Is Sexy For Dollhouse Promo ... Read Full Story

Add Comments

News

/ edit news

Eliza Dushku won Halloween

For now. I still haven’t seen what Heidi Klum wore or know if she dressed up this year. So until then, I’ve declared Eliza Dushku the reigning queen of Halloween ‘09 for her and her friend’s vampire Bonnie and Clyde costumes. All outfits should be as inventive. I hope Mariah Carey, Nick Cannon and Audrina Patridge ...

From theblemish.com ()