Eliza Dushku’s first role was at a young age playing opposite Juliette Lewis in 1993’s “That Night.” Since then, she has starred in high profile TV shows like “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “Dollhouse,” and “Tru Calling.” She’s also had major roles in cult films like “Bring It On,” “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back,” and “Soul Survivors.”
Dushku was in town for the Dallas Sci-Fi Expo. I had the opportunity to participate in a question and answer session with the talented actor.
What was your childhood like? How did it affect your acting career?
I didn’t come from a big entertainment family. My mother was a professor. We had one TV in the basement we could watch growing up or play video games on. As far as movies [are concerned], they were on special occasions. My mother was more [interested in] talking about current events at the dinner table. It was really kind of random that I fell into the entertainment business. I had a lot of catching up to do.
Do you prefer being a child actor or an adult actor more?
I didn’t expect to be either. I tripped and fell into it. It’s always seemed kind of a bizarre and fun accident. I’ve enjoyed it. I’m so much more grateful because of it. I didn’t know if I was going to continue [after being a child actor]. I planned on going to school, follow in my mother’s footsteps, be a political science major, teach, and travel the world.
I wasn’t the kid that wanted to grow up and be an actor. I guess sometimes your life finds you. I still have other interests. I’m going back to school and taking classes. I’m interested in a lot of different things. We’ll see. I hope to stick around in some capacity.
Do you have any TV shows you can watch over and over again?
I can’t say I watch TV shows over and over. I haven’t really had any show that I’ve watched over and over. I have super ADHD and for me to sit down and focus on one thing at a time is a task and a challenge.
I can’t think of anything I’ve watched over and over. There are shows like “The Simpsons” that I can watch episodes over and over. I just watched the whole series of “The Wire.” That show is insane. That’s one of the best shows. I like “Breaking Bad.” I do like “Sons of Anarchy.” I love watching bad people do bad things. I started “Game of Thrones.” [There’s] a lot of naked people.
How was it to be “Punk’d” by Ashton Kutcher?
We were literally shooting the season finale of [“Buffy”] the day that happened. [Justin] Timberlake and a bunch of us went out the night before and they got me really wasted. It was a rough morning. They were like, “This guy wants to give you some free clothes.” I love free stuff. I’m my father’s daughter. He’s like the bargain master of Boston.
I went down there and I literally thought the producers were going to have to bail me out of jail. [Timberlake and his friends] were like, “The paddy wagon’s on the way. They’re making an example out of you.” I think I was late for set and Joss did not think Ashton Kutcher was very funny. The producers were big time p—ed.
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Eric Shirey is the founder and former editor of Rondo Award nominated movie news websites MovieGeekFeed.com and TheSpectralRealm.com. His work has been featured on Yahoo!, DC Comics, StarWars.com, and other entertainment websites. Eric has interviewed and worked with actors like Harrison Ford, Brooke Shields, Gerard Butler, Brendan Fraser, Selena Gomez, and many more.
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