Dollhouse’s Eliza Dushku Turns 33: Today In Science & Science Fiction
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Eliza Dushku has been acting since she was 10 years old, notably appearing as the daughter of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s character in True Lies. The first role where she landed on most genre fans’ radar, however, was as the troubled Slayer Faith in Joss Whedon’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer (and later in the Angel spinoff). That role gave her plenty of meat to work with, putting Faith through the ringer with good intentions leading to evil acts, eventually leading to a redemption of sorts. You can watch both Buffy and Angel via Netflix Instant.
She then headlined Tru Calling for two seasons on Fox. She played medical student Tru Davies, who is working in a morgue when suddenly the corpses start asking her for help and then tossing her back in time, forcing her to relive the day and try to save the person on the slab. It was a show that had a rocky start but really became interesting in its second season with the addition of Jason Priestly as Tru’s opposite, a man also reliving the past but trying to ensure that those dead stay dead. It added a philosophical question to the show: did Tru really have the right to change history? What ripples was she creating elsewhere by interfering with what had already happened? Sadly, was cancelled and never got a third season. You can pick up the full run of Tru Calling over on Amazon.
Dushku then teamed up with Joss again on Dollhouse, another series with a rocky start that soon upped its game significantly. The show had the same fate as Tru Calling, surviving two seasons before the ax swung. Her role as Echo (among others) gave her a serious acting challenge, with her tasked with playing multiple versions of the same character, as well as diverse other personalities that were implanted on her by the powers that be in the “Dollhouse.” In typical Joss fashion, the show became significantly more complex and interesting in its later episodes, but that potential wasn’t able to be fully explored before the show was canceled. You can watch the show’s full run on Netflix.
In more recent years, she’s popped up on shows like The Guild and The League, as well as voicing Selina Kyle/Catwoman in Batman: Year One and She-Hulk in Hulk and the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.. She is also active in charity work with organizations such as Invisible Children and St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital. GFR wishes her a happy birthday!
