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.”
She was in town for the Dallas Sci-Fi Expo and I had the opportunity to participate in a question and answer session with the talented actor.
How was it to be on “The League” and do sort of an improvisation project?
That was new for me. I’m used to scripted things. I was a little intimidated. I was a huge fan of “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and shows like that. I think it’s really brave, unexpected, and fun.
They made it pretty easy. They gave me stuff to do. It was a good time. A lot of people are used to seeing me in really dramatic roles with my frown lines. Sometimes I like to roll up my sleeves and do some goofy comedic stuff as well. It was fun to do that. My father was like, “You’re wicked funny. You should do more funny stuff.” I’m trying to fill those shoes.
Have you asked to do a guest starring role for “How I Met Your Mother” with Alyson Hannigan or maybe on “Fringe”? Are there any other guest star spots for you coming up?
“How I Met Your Mother” is a great show. I talked to some of the writers and we were going to do that. It’s always a scheduling thing. Guest star roles are fun to do definitely. I can kind of pop in and pop out.
After I finished “Dollhouse,” I really wanted to commit to getting these two films that we’re working on [done]. I’ve been working on a Robert Mapplethorpe project for eight years. I needed more time to focus and complete that. I don’t have any plans to do “Fringe.” There are some others that are coming up maybe.
If I told you, it wouldn’t be an awesome surprise. If you follow me on Twitter, I’ll tell you everything.
Did you do your own stunts? If so, how much of them were actually you?
I’m a “show it to me and let me try and imitate it” [type of person]. You don’t get a lot of time to prepare. You always show up and they’ll have a serious professional there to teach you everything in as much time as they can. I like to be as hands on as I can because I do like to learn new ways of kicking people’s asses.
I’ve got to give it up to Buffy’s martial artists and stunt doubles as much as possible. I have a lot of respect and admiration and think they’re artists. I loved it when they’d let me plug in and do the stuff. It’s powerful.
I do as many of my stunts as I can. A lot of times studios have liability restrictions and I’m like, “Can I just jump off the building; I can do it.” They’re like “No, probably not.” I remember the first time I watched “Buffy.” Every time I would see me wind up for something, that big mop of wig flashed through the scene. I was like, “No.” I thought everybody could see it as well. I wanted less wig and more me.
For more articles by Eric Shirey, check out:
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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.