Eliza Dushku was discovered at the end of a 5-month search throughout
the United States for the perfect girl to play the lead role of Alice opposite
Juliette Lewis in the film "That Night." Since then she has been in several
films, and has worked with actors such as Robert DeNiro, Ellen Barkin,
Leonardo DiCaprio, Paul Reiser, and Jim Belushi. Born in Boston on
December 30, 1980, she has studied the piano, drums and dance (jazz,
tap and ballet). Her previous acting experience includes numerous amateur
presentations at the Watertown Children's Theatre where she has been
part of the company since she was in first grade. In addition to acting, she
sometimes is seen on stage at the Children's Theatre signing for the deaf.
Like so many characters who appear on "Buffy", Faith was supposed
to be only in the show for a short while. But, as is usual with our beloved
"Buffyverse" fans took to the fiesty brunette immediatley, largely due to
the sympathetic performance of the actress who portrays her, Eliza
Dushku.
Eliza Patricia Dushku was born in Boston on December 30, 1980. Unlike
most of her co-stars, Eliza got into acting accidently at the age of ten, when
she attended an audition for a commerical with her brother and landed the
part. Although she had been attending acting, singing and dancing lessons
for a number of years, this was her first foray into the business itself.
Over the next few years, Eliza appeared in a number of films including
"Bye Bye, Love" with Amber Benson and Lindsay Crouse (Maggie Walsh)
"This Boy's Life" with Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio and "True
Lies" with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jamie Lee Curtis.
Between the age of sixteen and eighteen, Eliza gave up acting to complete
High School, before being called up to audition for "Buffy". The character,
of course, was Faith, a darker, lonelier version of our blond-haired heroine.
Eliza won the part fairly easily, and this was to be the turning point for her
career. Since joining and leaving the show, Eliza has done a number of
films including "Soul Survivor", "U turn" and "Bring it On" which saw her
team with Claire Kramer (who played Glory in Season Five). The two
actresses would pair again later in an episode of Eliza's own television
show "Tru Calling", about a morgue attendant who has the power to turn
back time and stop people from dying unnatural deaths, which is currently
running on both sides of the Atlantic.
