Eliza Dushku

Dushku was born in Boston and raised in Watertown, Massachusetts, the only daughter and youngest of the four children of school teacher and administrator Philip Dushku and Judy Dushku ({{née|Rasmussen}}),{{cite web |url=https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KF1K-R6C |title=Philip Richard George Dushku |publisher=Vermont Vital Records |via=Familysearch.org |access-date=May 1, 2016 |archive-date=May 12, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160512202620/https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KF1K-R6C |url-status=live }} a political science professor.{{cite news |url=http://parade.com/31826/parade/eliza-dushku-wonder-woman/ |title=Eliza Dushku, the Next Wonder Woman? |work=Parade Magazine |date=2009-01-29 |access-date=2016-12-04 |archive-date=December 20, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220050625/http://parade.com/31826/parade/eliza-dushku-wonder-woman/ |url-status=live }} Dushku's father was Boston-born, of Albanian heritage, with his parents coming from the city of Korçë.{{cite news |title=Obituary - Philip R. Dushku (1941-2018) |work=Boston Globe |quote=Philip was born in Boston on June 2, 1941 to George V. and Vilermini D. (Tontonozi) Dushku. ... Proud father of ... Eliza}} Her parents were divorced before she was born.{{cite journal |last1=Christiansen |first1=Barbara |title=A Worldwide Sisterhood - Judy Dushku |journal=Mormon Women Project |date=2011 |publisher=Mormon Women |quote=I was divorced when I was pregnant with my fourth child.}}

Dushku's mother was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and Dushku and her three brothers{{cite web|url=https://emertainmentmonthly.org/2013/11/25/super-megafest-2013-eliza-dushku-panel/|title=Super Megafest 2013: Eliza Dushku Panel|last=Lafferty|first=Hanna|publisher=Emertainment Monthly|date=November 25, 2013|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131128125941/http://emertainmentmonthly.com/2013/11/25/super-megafest-2013-eliza-dushku-panel/|archive-date=November 28, 2013}} were raised as members of the Church. She attended Beaver Country Day School in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts,{{cite news |url= http://archive.boston.com/sports/schools/articles/2008/08/24/levin_takes_reins_at_beaver_country_day/| title=Levin takes reins at Beaver Country Day |first=Brendan |last=Hall |date=2008-08-24 |access-date=2018-12-17 |publisher=The Boston Globe |archive-date=2018-12-17 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20181217163036/http://archive.boston.com/sports/schools/articles/2008/08/24/levin_takes_reins_at_beaver_country_day/ |url-status=live}} and graduated from Watertown High School.{{cite web |url=http://www.watertownlib.org/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/263 |title=The Annual |year=1998 |publisher=Watertown High School |page=22 |access-date=2016-04-03 |archive-date=June 27, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180627034709/http://www.watertownlib.org/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/263 |url-status=dead }}

File:Eliza Dushku May 2004 holding coffee.jpg

Dushku came to the attention of casting agents when she was ten years old. She was chosen in a five-month search for the lead role of Alice in the 1992 romantic drama film That Night. In 1993, Dushku landed a role as Pearl, alongside Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio, in the drama film This Boy's Life. The following year, she played the teenage daughter of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jamie Lee Curtis in the action spy film True Lies.{{cite web |url=http://www.elizapatriciadushku.com/bio |title=Eliza Dushku |website=Elizapatriciadushku.com |access-date=2016-04-03 |archive-date=March 24, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160324004413/http://www.elizapatriciadushku.com/bio |url-status=live }}

She had roles as Piper Reeves in the short film Fishing with George (1994), as Cat in the television film Journey (1995),{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEUr55E10v4| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211104/QEUr55E10v4| archive-date=2021-11-04 | url-status=live|title=Journey Trailer 1995 |author=Video Detective | website=YouTube|date=2014-11-11 |access-date=2016-04-03}}{{cbignore}} as Paul Reiser's daughter in the romantic comedy film Bye Bye Love (1995), and as Cindy Johnson in the comedy drama film Race the Sun (1996).

Dushku planned to attend Suffolk University in Boston, where her mother taught,Tramountaanas, George A. (March 29, 2014). [http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=51822 "ECCC: Eliza Dushku Talks 'Buffy,' 'Dollhouse' and Going Back to College"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140330065057/http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=51822 |date=March 30, 2014 }}. Comic Book Resources. but her agent asked her to submit a videotape audition for a television show starring another of his clients, Sarah Michelle Gellar. After reading the script, Dushku rushed to a local Claire's to purchase dark makeup and other appropriate accessories for the part of Faith on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. When she began her work on the series, Dushku was still a minor, and had to receive emancipation to work the production's long hours. She later recalled with amusement that the judge who handled her emancipation case, who was an avid fan of the show, jokingly said that she would sign the emancipation order if she could get a signed photo from Dushku. Though initially planned as a three-episode role, the character became so popular that she stayed on for the whole third season and returned for a two-part appearance in season four and for the last five episodes of the series. She also appeared in the spin-off series Angel.

As an unwelcome effect of her portrayal as Faith, Dushku was inundated with fan mail from prisoners. She said:

I've been getting fan mail from maximum security penitentiaries and death row. What are the authorities thinking of in playing a show with young teenage girls to Death Row inmates? They write everything – disgusting things that you don't even want to know about. And they send me pictures – "Oh, here's a picture of me before I was incarcerated!" – and there's some guy sat on the sofa with a bottle of beer and a mustache, and a big gut. It's so creepy. Way more creepy than Buffy.{{cite web |url=http://news.eliza-dushku.com/archives0102/na050101.html|title=E.D.t.v.:: the eliza dushku news channel |publisher=Eliza-Dushku.com |access-date=2009-04-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030902195143/http://www.news.eliza-dushku.com/archives0102/na050101.html |archive-date=2003-09-02}}

File:Eliza Dushku @ Wizard World Philly May 2004 01.jpg Comic Con in Philadelphia (May 2004)]]

In 2000, Dushku starred in the hit cheerleader comedy Bring It On. She followed that up with Soul Survivors, which reunited her with her Race the Sun co-star Casey Affleck. In 2001, she appeared in The New Guy with DJ Qualls and in City by the Sea with Robert De Niro and James Franco. The latter film garnered attention from a wider adult audience and several good reviews. The same year, Kevin Smith invited Dushku to be a part of Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back.

In 2003, Dushku starred in the horror film Wrong Turn and The Kiss, an independent comedy-drama. Starting that same year, she starred in a new Fox supernatural drama, Tru Calling, where she played the main character, medical student Tru Davies. After having a grant withdrawn, Tru is forced to take a job at a local morgue, where she discovers her power to "re-live" the previous day over again if one of the deceased asks for her help to change what has happened. Dushku turned down a role in a spin-off of Buffy the Vampire Slayer about Faith.

She has had many roles as a "bad girl" in films. In an interview with Maxim in May 2001, Dushku says of her roles, "It's easy to play a bad girl: You just do everything you've been told not to do, and you don't have to deal with the consequences, because it's only acting."{{cite web |url=http://www.maximonline.com/articles/index.aspx?a_id=4046&src=fc |title=Faith No More |last=Young |first=Paul |work=Maxim |date=May 2001 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930180956/http://www.maximonline.com/articles/index.aspx?a_id=4046&src=fc |archive-date=2007-09-30}}

Dushku starred in the Off-Broadway play Dog Sees God in December 2005. The play was based on the Peanuts comic strip, with Dushku playing a character symbolizing Lucy Van Pelt. She quit in February 2006 along with other members of the cast amid rumors of abuse by the producer, which were later dismissed.

She played the lead character on Nurses, a hospital comedy-drama for Fox. This was the second Fox pilot in which she was cast, but not broadcast.{{cite news |url=https://variety.com/2007/scene/markets-festivals/dushku-joins-fox-s-nurses-1117960922/ |title=Dushku joins Fox's 'Nurses' |last1=Schneider |first1=Michael |last2=Adalian |first2=Josef |publisher=Variety |date=2007-03-11 |access-date=2007-03-20 |archive-date=November 7, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121107043641/http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117960922?refCatId=14 |url-status=live }}

She appeared in the Simple Plan music video "I'm Just a Kid" as the band's love interest, as well as Nickelback's video for "Rockstar".

File:Eliza Dushku by David Shankbone.jpg (2007)]]

On October 1, 2005, she announced at Wizard World Boston that shooting had begun for Nobel Son in which she would star with Alan Rickman, Danny DeVito, and Bill Pullman. The film was released at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival.{{cite web|url=https://www.aintitcool.com/node/32560|title=Nobel Son review|publisher=Aintitcool.com|date=May 7, 2007|access-date=February 24, 2011|archive-date=May 25, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110525214444/http://www.aintitcool.com/node/32560|url-status=live}} Another project released in 2007 was On Broadway, an independent film filmed in Boston. It received positive reviews,{{cite news |url=http://bostonist.com/2007/04/30/on_broadway_at_the_independent_film_festival_of_boston.php |title=On Broadway At the Independent Film Festival of Boston |last=Femia |first=Michael |publisher=Bostonist |date=2007-04-30 |access-date=2008-07-13 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080612134004/http://bostonist.com/2007/04/30/on_broadway_at_the_independent_film_festival_of_boston.php |archive-date=2008-06-12}} with a few of them highlighting Dushku's performance.

Dushku has had roles in five video games. She voiced the role of Yumi Sawamura in the English-language version of Yakuza for the PlayStation 2, which was published and developed by Sega, and released in September 2006. Dushku also stars as Shaundi, one of the lead characters in Saints Row 2, which was developed by Volition, Inc. and published by THQ.{{cite web|url=http://worthplaying.com/article/2008/9/12/previews/54767/|title=Saints Row 2 Singleplayer/Co-Op Preview|last=Pavlacka|first=Adam|publisher=WorthPlaying.com|date=September 12, 2008|access-date=November 30, 2010|archive-date=September 30, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110930161651/http://worthplaying.com/article/2008/9/12/previews/54767/|url-status=live}} It was released in North America on October 14, 2008, for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. She was the voice talent for the role of Rubi Malone, the main character in the game WET.{{cite web |url=http://www.gamespot.com/ps3/action/wet/news.html?sid=6213530&tag=topslot;thumb;1 |title=Wet Hands-On – PlayStation 3 Previews at GameSpot |last=Sassoon |first=Alex |work=Gamespot.com |date=2009-09-15 |access-date=2011-02-24 |archive-date=September 18, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230918214000/https://www.gamespot.com/games/wet/news/ |url-status=live }} She appeared at Spike TV's 2008 Video Game Awards in December 2008.{{cite web |url=https://www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=photoGalleryAlbum&galleryid=2414&order=2 |title=Spike TV's Video Game Awards |publisher=Variety |date=2008-12-15 |access-date=2009-09-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090414215905/http://www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=photoGalleryAlbum&galleryid=2414&order=2 |archive-date=2009-04-14}} Danielle Nicolet took over the role of Shaundi in Saints Row: The Third. She also voiced Megan McQueen in Champion Mode of the 2011 video game Fight Night Champion.

Variety announced on August 2, 2006, that Dushku would co-star with Macaulay Culkin in Sex and Breakfast, a dark comedy written and directed by Miles Brandman. A reviewer described Dushku as "charming" and giving the character "an edge".{{cite news |url=https://www.variety.com/review/VE1117935547?refcatid=31 |url-status=dead |title=Sex and Breakfast (Review) |last=Anderson |first=John |publisher=Variety |date=2004-11-29 |access-date=2009-09-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121107043713/http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117935547?refcatid=31 |archive-date=2012-11-07}} The film was released in Los Angeles on November 30, 2007, and on DVD on January 22, 2008. She starred in Open Graves, a 2008 horror-thriller about a satanic game co-starring Mike Vogel. She played the main character in The Thacker Case and The Alphabet Killer, both thrillers based on real-life events, one of them directed by Rob Schmidt, with whom she had worked on Wrong Turn. Both films were released in 2008.{{cite news |url=http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2007/05/15/eliza-dushku-joins-the-force-for-alphabet-killer/ |title=Eliza Dushku Joins The Force For 'Alphabet Killer' |last=Jacks |first=Brian |publisher=MTV Movies Blog |date=2007-05-15 |access-date=2008-07-13 |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080501194733/http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2007/05/15/eliza-dushku-joins-the-force-for-alphabet-killer/ |archive-date=2008-05-01}} The Alphabet Killer contains Dushku's first topless scene.{{cite news |url=http://www.egotastic.com/entertainment/celebrities/eliza-dushku/eliza-dushku-topless-video-from-the-alphabet-killer-topless-004259 |title=Eliza Dushku topless in The Alphabet Killer |publisher=Egotastic |date=2008-12-22 |access-date=2008-12-22 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081224004508/http://egotastic.com/entertainment/celebrities/eliza-dushku/eliza-dushku-topless-video-from-the-alphabet-killer-topless-004259 |archive-date=2008-12-24}} The film earned mixed reviews, but reviewers praised Dushku's performance, commenting "Eliza Dushku commands the screen but cannot reconcile the script's conflicted and increasingly idiotic agendas."{{cite web |url=https://www.variety.com/review/VE1117939227?refcatid=31 |title=The Alphabet Killer |last=Scheib |first=Ronnie |publisher=Variety |date=2008-12-17 |access-date=2009-09-07 |archive-date=November 7, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121107043805/http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117939227?refcatid=31 |url-status=live }} She appeared in Bottle Shock, a drama about Napa valley wine. The film was directed by Randall Miller, who helmed Nobel Son.{{cite news |url=http://blog.moviefone.com/2007/07/20/elisha-dushku-and-bill-pullman-join-bottle-shock |title=Eliza Dushku and Bill Pullman Join 'Bottle Shock' |url-status=dead |last=Campbell |first=Christopher |publisher=Cinematical |date=2007-07-20 |access-date=2008-07-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110725172704/http://blog.moviefone.com/2007/07/20/elisha-dushku-and-bill-pullman-join-bottle-shock |archive-date=2011-07-25}}

On August 26, 2007, Dushku signed a development deal with Fox Broadcasting Company and 20th Century Fox. Under the pact, the network and the studio would develop projects tailor-made for the actress as well as approach her with existing pitches and scripts.{{cite news |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/television/news/e3i3183b40c3b46a938e4669aa95744ca66 |title=Dushku busy with Fox TV |last=Andreeva |first=Nellie |work=The Hollywood Reporter |date=2007-08-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930231821/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/television/news/e3i3183b40c3b46a938e4669aa95744ca66 |archive-date=2007-09-30}}

Subsequently, it was announced on October 31 that Dushku had lured Joss Whedon, of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, back to TV, to create a television series called Dollhouse. Dushku produced the show and played the main character, 'Echo'. It aired on Fox during the 2008–09 TV season. In an interview, Dushku talked about how Dollhouse and her reconnection with Whedon came about:

I invited Joss Whedon to lunch after I did the business deal with Fox. We'd had a cool relationship in the past and I so wanted to do something else, and I wanted to get back into a television show. I had him on the brain for sure but I hadn't called him yet, but I sort of took a leap of faith and set things up with Fox and then called Joss. We went to a four-hour lunch where I just sort of used my womanly wiles. No, we've become such good friends, kind of like brother and sister and kind of like he was my watcher, my handler from when I first moved out to L.A. when I was 17 and I was a little bit of a wild child. He's watched me and helped me and taught me over the years. I told him how bad I wanted and needed him back and he accepted and here we are.{{cite web |url=http://suicidegirls.com/interviews/Eliza+Dushku%3A+Dollhouse/ |title=Eliza Dushku: Dollhouse |publisher=SuicideGirls.com |date=2009-02-05 |access-date=2009-02-05 |archive-date=February 7, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090207133937/http://suicidegirls.com/interviews/Eliza+Dushku%3A+Dollhouse/ |url-status=live }}

File:Eliza Dushku 2009.jpg

Dushku described Whedon as "my favorite genius ... favorite friend ... big brother ... and the only person out here I've ever wholeheartedly trusted, because he's never let me down."{{cite news |title=Joss Whedon preps Fox series |publisher=Variety |url=https://variety.com/2007/scene/features/joss-whedon-preps-fox-series-1117975136/ |date=2007-10-31 |access-date=2021-08-25 |first=Michael |last=Schneider |archive-date=August 26, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210826004129/https://variety.com/2007/scene/features/joss-whedon-preps-fox-series-1117975136/ |url-status=live }} Dollhouse was renewed for a second season. The producers cited their confidence in the strength of Whedon's fan base and high DVR numbers as their reasons for keeping the show. Fox cancelled Dollhouse on November 11, 2009. The show officially wrapped filming on the second and final season on December 16, 2009.

In 2010, Dushku provided her voice for Noah's Ark: The New Beginning and appeared in the film Locked In.{{cite web |url=https://www.dreadcentral.com/news/17739/eliza-dushku-is-locked-in/ |title=Eliza Dushku is Locked In |publisher=Dreadcentral.com |access-date=2021-08-25 |date=2010-06-08 |first=Steve |last=Barton |archive-date=August 26, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210826004147/https://www.dreadcentral.com/news/17739/eliza-dushku-is-locked-in/ |url-status=live }} She also guest-starred in an episode of CBS' comedy The Big Bang Theory{{cite news|url=https://www.tvguide.com/News/Eliza-Dushku-Big-Bang-1023454.aspx|title=The Big Bang Theory Geeks Out for Eliza Dushku|work=TV Guide|access-date=September 23, 2010|archive-date=September 25, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100925194316/http://www.tvguide.com/News/Eliza-Dushku-Big-Bang-1023454.aspx|url-status=live}}

which aired on November 4, 2010.{{cite web |url=http://www.etonline.com/news/102522_VIDEO_Kaley_Cuoco_s_First_ET_Interview_Since_Breaking_Her_Leg/ |title=Eliza guest-star in CBS' comedy |work=Entertainment Tonight |date=2010-11-04 |access-date=2011-02-24 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101110134944/http://www.etonline.com/news/102522_VIDEO_Kaley_Cuoco_s_First_ET_Interview_Since_Breaking_Her_Leg/ |archive-date=2010-11-10}} In 2011, Dushku featured alongside Jayson Floyd in "One Shot", a short action clip on YouTube directed by and starring Freddie Wong, released on May 13, 2011.{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5Iey0wDqBE | archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211104/e5Iey0wDqBE| archive-date=2021-11-04 | url-status=live|title=One Shot ft. Eliza Dushku |publisher=YouTube (via Freddie Wong) |date=2011-05-13 |access-date=2011-05-13}}{{cbignore}}

Dushku had a lead role in the online animated "motion comic" series Torchwood: Web of Lies, based on the BBC series Torchwood: Miracle Day.{{cite news |url=http://insidetv.ew.com/2011/06/02/eliza-dushku-torchwood/ |title=Eliza Dushku to star in 'Torchwood' online animated series |last=Hibberd |first=James |publisher=Entertainment Weekly |date=2011-06-02 |access-date=2011-06-03 |archive-date=June 5, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605160806/http://insidetv.ew.com/2011/06/02/eliza-dushku-torchwood/ |url-status=live }} In June 2012, Dushku starred with Katie Cassidy, Gina Gershon and Michelle Trachtenberg in The Scribbler, directed by John Suits and produced by Gabriel Cowan.{{cite web |last=Fleming |first=Mike |url=https://deadline.com/2012/05/the-scribbler-starts-production-with-katie-cassidy-starring-269080/ |title='The Scribbler' Starts Production With Katie Cassidy Starring |website=deadline.com |access-date=2013-07-01 |date=2012-05-09 |archive-date=December 3, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203032625/http://www.deadline.com/2012/05/the-scribbler-starts-production-with-katie-cassidy-starring/ |url-status=live }}

In 2013, she was cast as Patricia Holm in a pilot film for a proposed TV revival series of The Saint, but the series was not commissioned. In July 2017 the pilot was released on digital HD/VOD.{{cite web |url=https://www.broadwayworld.com/bwwtv/article/All-New-Reboot-of-THE-SAINT-Arrives-on-Digital-HDVOD-on-711-20170627 |date=2014-06-27 |access-date=2021-08-25 |first=Caryn |last=Robbins |title=All-New Reboot of THE SAINT Arrives on Digital HD/VOD on 7/11 |archive-date=August 26, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210826004137/https://www.broadwayworld.com/bwwtv/article/All-New-Reboot-of-THE-SAINT-Arrives-on-Digital-HDVOD-on-711-20170627 |url-status=live }}

From 2013 to 2015, Dushku voiced the role of She-Hulk in the Disney XD animated series Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H.. In 2014, it was announced that she would star in Randall Miller's Midnight Rider, a biopic of Gregg Allman.{{cite news|last=Kit|first=Borys|title=Eliza Dushku, Bradley Whitford Join Gregg Allman Biopic|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/eliza-dushku-bradley-whitford-join-678450|accessdate=February 21, 2014|newspaper=The Hollywood Reporter|date=February 7, 2014|archive-date=February 9, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140209070602/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/eliza-dushku-bradley-whitford-join-678450|url-status=live}} In 2016, she was cast in a recurring role in the fourth season of the Cinemax TV series Banshee.{{Cite web |url=https://deadline.com/2015/04/eliza-dushku-banshee-cinemax-1201405176/ |title=Eliza Dushku Joins Cinemax's 'Banshee' |last=Pedersen |first=Erik |date=2015-04-06 |publisher=deadline.com |language=en |access-date=2019-09-26 |archive-date=September 26, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190926194755/https://deadline.com/2015/04/eliza-dushku-banshee-cinemax-1201405176/ |url-status=live }} In 2017, she had a recurring guest role in the last three episodes of the first season of the CBS drama series Bull with the option of becoming a series regular in season two.{{cite web |url=https://variety.com/2017/tv/news/eliza-dushku-bull-cbs-cast-1202014922/ |title=Eliza Dushku Joins CBS' 'Bull' With Option to Become Series Regular in Season 2 |first=Elizabeth |last=Wagmeister |date=2017-03-23 |access-date=2021-08-25 |publisher=Variety |archive-date=December 10, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171210234628/http://variety.com/2017/tv/news/eliza-dushku-bull-cbs-cast-1202014922/ |url-status=live }}

After a seven-year hiatus, in September 2024, Dushku retrospectively confirmed her retirement from acting.[https://www.eonline.com/news/1411099/all-these-stars-quit-left-hollywood Ellen DeGeneres, Evangeline Lilly and More Stars Who Quit Hollywood] EOnline

File:Eliza Dushku by Gage Skidmore.jpg]]

In August 2011, Dushku visited Albania with a crew from the Travel Channel and Lonely Planet to film Dear Albania, a documentary promoting tourism in her father's family's country of origin.{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFTTx8P0Wsw | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121130055531/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fFTTx8P0Wsw&gl=US&hl=en| archive-date=2012-11-30 | url-status=dead|title=Dear Albania by Eliza Dushku |publisher=YouTube |access-date=October 15, 2012}}{{cite news |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/eliza-dushku/albania-travel-_b_946341.html |title=Why You Must Visit Albania |publisher=Huffington Post |date=2011-09-02 |access-date=2012-03-11 |first=Eliza |last=Dushku |archive-date=October 26, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171026170031/https://www.huffingtonpost.com/eliza-dushku/albania-travel-_b_946341.html |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=http://news.bostonherald.com/track/star_tracks/view/2011_0808inside_track_headline_2/srvc=home&position=also |title=Eliza Dushku in Albania - BostonHerald.com |publisher=Boston Herald |date=2011-08-08 |access-date=2012-10-15 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120912195515/http://news.bostonherald.com/track/star_tracks/view/2011_0808inside_track_headline_2/srvc%3Dhome%26position%3Dalso |archive-date=2012-09-12}}{{cite web |url=http://www.koha.net/index.php?page=1,5,65224 |title=Eliza Dushku në Tiranë, promovon vlerat turistike të Shqipërisë |work=Koha.net |date=2011-08-06 |access-date=2011-08-07 |archive-date=December 17, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131217224137/http://www.koha.net/index.php?page=1,5,65224 |url-status=live }}

Dushku has been CEO of her own production company, Boston Diva Productions, with her brother Nate as a partner. She secured exclusive rights to make an authorized film based on the life of photographer Robert Mapplethorpe. At one time provisionally entitled The Perfect Moment, the film was in development over more than a decade. Eventually she enlisted the help of Ondi Timoner{{cite news |url=https://variety.com/2009/film/markets-festivals/eliza-dushku-focuses-on-photog-film-1118000588/ |title=Eliza Dushku focuses on photog film |last=Siegel |first=Tatiana |publisher=Variety |date=2009-02-25 |access-date=2009-09-07 |archive-date=November 7, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121107043538/http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118000588?refCatId=1236 |url-status=live }} and Mapplethorpe, with Matt Smith as the title character, was brought to the screen in 2018.{{cite news |last1=D'Alessandro |first1=Anthony |title=Eliza Dushku's 15-Year Journey To Make 'Mapplethorpe' – Tribeca Studio |url=https://deadline.com/2018/04/eliza-dushku-mapplethorpe-matt-smith-tribeca-film-festival-video-1202376843/ |access-date=26 September 2021 |work=Deadline Hollywood |date=27 April 2018 |archive-date=September 26, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210926231630/https://deadline.com/2018/04/eliza-dushku-mapplethorpe-matt-smith-tribeca-film-festival-video-1202376843/ |url-status=live }}

In 2017, her production company, in association with IM Global Television, was reported to be developing Glen Cook's The Black Company series of books for a television series, with Dushku potentially starring as The Lady.{{cite web |url=https://deadline.com/2017/04/eliza-dushku-star-the-black-company-series-adaptation-david-goyer-im-global-1202076367/ |title=Eliza Dushku To Star In 'The Black Company' Series Adaptation In Works By IM Global & David Goyer |date=2017-04-24 |access-date=2017-07-16 |first=Denise |last=Petski |archive-date=July 15, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170715210914/http://deadline.com/2017/04/eliza-dushku-star-the-black-company-series-adaptation-david-goyer-im-global-1202076367/ |url-status=live }}

Dushku was raised a Mormon, and still has a Mormon-themed tattoo.{{cite web|url=http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/home3/58379865-200/dushku-curtis-judy-mormon.html.csp|title=Eliza Dushku of 'Buffy,' 'Dollhouse' shares Comic Con stage with mom |publisher=The Salt Lake Tribune |access-date=2014-10-27 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141016121246/http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/home3/58379865-200/dushku-curtis-judy-mormon.html.csp |archive-date=2014-10-16 |first=Michaal |last=McFall}} She describes herself as having taken a different path from the LDS Church, and is grateful for having grown up in it.{{cite web |url=http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/home3/58379865-200/dushku-curtis-judy-mormon.html.csp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141016121246/http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/home3/58379865-200/dushku-curtis-judy-mormon.html.csp |url-status=dead |archive-date=2014-10-16 |title=Eliza Dushku of 'Buffy,' 'Dollhouse' shares Comic Con stage with mom |publisher=The Salt Lake Tribune |date=2014-10-16}}

Dushku lived for more than 15 years in Los Angeles, though spending substantial time back in Watertown and Boston in the period before her stepfather died.{{cite news |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/names/2013/11/22/eliza-dushku-honored-for-camp-hale-efforts/7sQrhQbPp9HDmP3rN3RtmL/story.html |first1=Mark |last1=Shanahan |first2=Meredith |last2=Goldstein |title=Eliza Dushku honored for Camp Hale efforts |publisher=The Boston Globe |date=2013-11-22 |quote=Though she’s lived in Los Angeles for 15 years, Dushku has been back in Boston a lot lately to spend time with her stepfather, James Coleman, who died in October. |access-date=2021-08-25 |archive-date=August 26, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210826004129/https://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/names/2013/11/22/eliza-dushku-honored-for-camp-hale-efforts/7sQrhQbPp9HDmP3rN3RtmL/story.html |url-status=live }} She lived for several years in the Laurel Canyon area.{{cite news |url=https://www.boston.com/travel/getaways/us/california/gallery/show_us_los_angeles?pg=7 |title=Eliza Dushku shows us L.A. |last=Maeda |first=Wendy |publisher=The Boston Globe |date=2004-08-28 |access-date=2011-06-03 |archive-date=September 24, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924162348/http://www.boston.com/travel/getaways/us/california/gallery/show_us_los_angeles?pg=7 |url-status=live }}

In 2009, she posed nude for the May issue of Allure magazine.[https://web.archive.org/web/20090416110546/http://www.allure.com/magazine/2009/05/nudes The Naked Truth: Five Celebrities Bare It All] Allure. Archived on April 15, 2009.

Having originally intended to attend college in Boston, before her break on Buffy altered those plans, she announced in March 2014 at the Emerald City Comicon that she would be attending college later that year. On June 22, 2014, The Boston Globe reported that Dushku had left Los Angeles, moved back to Watertown near Boston, and was planning to attend college.{{cite web |date=2014-06-22 |first1=Mark |last1=Shanahan |first2=Meredith |last2=Goldstein |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/names/2014/06/21/eliza-dushku-separated-from-rick-fox-moves-back-home/A8eGeAv8myP2fq8NgeTWKI/story.html |title=Eliza Dushku leaves LA and moves back home |publisher=The Boston Globe |access-date=2018-12-23 |archive-date=December 24, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181224074208/https://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/names/2014/06/21/eliza-dushku-separated-from-rick-fox-moves-back-home/A8eGeAv8myP2fq8NgeTWKI/story.html |url-status=live }} As of 2016, she was a student at Suffolk University, studying sociology.{{cite web |url=http://sparechangenews.net/2016/02/dear-albania-eliza-dushku-discusses-immigration-bernie-sanders-and-homelessness/ |title=Dear Albania: Eliza Dushku discusses Immigration, Bernie Sanders, and Homelessness |last=Greenough |first=Jason |publisher=Spare Change News |date=2016-02-25 |access-date=2016-04-03 |archive-date=April 3, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160403234747/http://sparechangenews.net/2016/02/dear-albania-eliza-dushku-discusses-immigration-bernie-sanders-and-homelessness/ |url-status=dead }} In 2019, Boston Magazine reported that she was studying holistic psychology at Lesley University.{{Cite web |url=https://www.bostonmagazine.com/arts-entertainment/2019/02/26/eliza-dushku/ |title=The Interview: Actress and Producer Eliza Dushku |date=2019-02-26 |publisher=Boston Magazine |first=Chris |last=Sweeney |language=en-US |access-date=2019-03-09 |archive-date=February 27, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190227133741/https://www.bostonmagazine.com/arts-entertainment/2019/02/26/eliza-dushku/ |url-status=live }} She graduated in 2020.{{cite web | url=https://www.instagram.com/p/CAOWF83nnwc/ | title=Official Eliza Dushku on Instagram: "Today marks (Via ZOOM!): My College Graduation Day..!!? 🎓🎉👩🏻‍🎓 You guys, I JUST GRADUATED 😭👏♥️✨ I am so excited 😆 This has been a dream (As many of you know!) for a long, LONG time coming. I moved back to Boston almost 5 years ago with a few credits under my belt & some fierce determination to complete my BA. Along the way I met the love of my life (Peter P!) who has rooted me on endlessly, with my beautiful family (Hi mom, Aaron, Leni, Ben, Nate, Ami! + study nights with my niece & nephews Kyle, Sof, & Joji were true highlights!) & friends (Too many to name but I SEE YOU!!) believing in me, our perfect little nugget, Bourne, joining me in my belly for the last few semesters (Dance movement therapy class as an 8 months pregarroo-soon-to-be-mama had my classmates, Professors & me giggling 😅), & I can't forget Max & Tanner (🐶🐕~ it takes a village!) who snuggled in my lap through late night papers & test-studying! The journey has been a little longer than the typical college experience perhaps, but I'm so grateful to have had the opportunity a.) to attend university, something I do not take for granted for 1 second, b.) to have the insane support & encouragement from my school/S surrounding being a 35-40 year old back-to-school 'kid', and c.) to have had the privilege. 👉Everyone should have the ability to further their education. This was a major flame behind my Bernie support over the years— our American system of college expenses & debt is a broken one, a failing dynamic and cause that I will stand behind in pursuit of change & effective reform.👈 This awesome commencement marks the end of my undergrad studies, which will now lead into a Master's program in Holistic Counseling, Psychology, Theory & Practice— I want to give to others what I was so lucky to receive myself— a space & Holistic (Aka WHOLE PERSON~ mind/Body/Spirit-soul) web of healing from addiction, trauma, & transpersonal deficiencies. You know, this pandemic/Endemic has really rooted in me the conviction that we all need a little help along the path of life, particularly as the world/Planet gets more complicated & sadly, divisive. 🙏 Go after your goals! #YOLO💗✨xo Me" | access-date=January 11, 2023 | archive-date=January 11, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230111165626/https://www.instagram.com/p/CAOWF83nnwc/ | url-status=live }}{{better reference needed|date=January 2023}} {{Cite web |last=Voss |first=Gretchen |date=2024-09-26 |title=Eliza Dushku's Bold New Journey |url=https://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/2024/09/26/eliza-dushku-psychedelic-assisted-therapy/ |access-date=2025-03-25 |website=Boston Magazine |language=en-US}} In 2023, it was reported by The Boston Globe that Dushku was studying for her master's degree in counseling and clinical mental health, with a focus on psychedelic-assisted therapies and treatment for addiction and mental health.{{Cite web |title=Eliza Dushku Palandjian and Peter Palandjian donate $7.5 Million to Brigham and Women's Hospital |first=Alex |last=Koller |date=August 1, 2023 |publisher=The Boston Globe |url= https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/08/01/lifestyle/eliza-dushku-palandjian-peter-palandjian-donate-75-million-brigham-womens-hospital/}}

During an interview with Boston Magazine in September 2024, Dushku revealed she has become a certified therapist, primarily focusing on psychedelic therapy for trauma patients, and she has also become an advocate for the use of psychedelic drugs in mental health treatment.{{Cite web |title=Eliza Dushku's Bold New Journey |first=Gretchen |last=Voss |date=September 26, 2024 |publisher=Boston Magazine |url= https://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/2024/09/26/eliza-dushku-psychedelic-assisted-therapy/}} In June 2025, Dushku received her master's degree in clinical mental health counseling from Lesley University.{{Cite web |title=Eliza Dushku Graduates with a Master's Degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling: 'Feels Like a Deep Calling Realized' |first=Madison E. |last=Goldberg |date=June 7, 2025 |publisher=People |url= https://people.com/eliza-dushku-graduates-masters-degree-clinical-mental-health-counseling-lesley-university-11750164/}}

She is politically active and campaigned for Bernie Sanders in the U.S. presidential election of 2016.

File:Eliza Dushku Fan Expo 2011, 2.jpg in Toronto, 2011]]

Dushku began dating former Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers basketball player Rick Fox in October 2009, and in August 2010 the couple confirmed that they were living together.{{cite web |url=http://www.americansuperstarmag.com/news/eliza-dushku-confirms-shes-dating-rick-fox |title=Eliza Dushku Confirms She's Dating Rick Fox |publisher=Americansuperstarmag.com |date=2009-10-15 |access-date=2011-02-27 |first=Alexis |last=Sezar |archive-date=July 3, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180703163423/http://www.americansuperstarmag.com/news/eliza-dushku-confirms-shes-dating-rick-fox |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20412945,00.html |title=Eliza Dushku and Rick Fox Love Living Together |first=Dahvi |last=Shira |date=2010-08-13 |publisher=People |access-date=2011-02-27 |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304053413/http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20412945,00.html |url-status=dead }} It was announced on June 24, 2014, that the pair had split.{{cite news |url=http://www.eonline.com/news/553846/eliza-dushku-and-rick-fox-break-up |title=Eliza Dushku and Rick Fox Break Up |last=Johnson |first=Zach |work=E! Online |date=2014-06-24 |access-date=2014-06-24 |archive-date=June 25, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140625144146/http://www.eonline.com/news/553846/eliza-dushku-and-rick-fox-break-up |url-status=live }}

In June 2017, she became engaged to businessman Peter Palandjian and they wed on August 18, 2018.{{Cite web |url=https://www.msn.com/en-us/tv/celebrity/eliza-dushku-marries-peter-palandjian-in-boston-photos/ar-BBNpMpE|title=Eliza Dushku marries Peter Palandjian in Boston: Photos |website=www.msn.com|access-date=2018-09-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190618055858/https://www.msn.com/en-us/tv/celebrity/eliza-dushku-marries-peter-palandjian-in-boston-photos/ar-BBNpMpE |archive-date=2019-06-18 |url-status=dead |first=Marisa |last=Laudadio}} On August 1, 2019, Dushku announced the birth of the couple's son.{{Cite web |last=Juneau |first=Jen |date=2019-08-01 |title=Eliza Dushku and Husband Peter Palandjian Welcome Son Philip: 'Can You Feel the Love'|url=https://people.com/parents/eliza-dushku-husband-peter-palandjian-welcome-son/ |url-status=live |access-date=2021-08-25 |publisher=People.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190802032324/https://people.com/parents/eliza-dushku-husband-peter-palandjian-welcome-son/ |archive-date=August 2, 2019|quote=(quoting post) (first name, nickname) Dushku Palandjian rolled up and out this past Saturday night to the warm welcome of … parents, fam, friends…}} In February 2021, Dushku announced via Instagram that she was pregnant with her second child.{{Cite web |date=2021-02-27 |title=Eliza Dushku and Husband Peter Palandjian Expecting Their Second Child: 'Mama x 2' |url=https://people.com/parents/eliza-dushku-expecting-second-child-husband-peter-palandjian/ |url-status=live |access-date=2021-08-25 |publisher=People.com |language=en |first=Maria |last=Pasquini|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210227184908/https://people.com/parents/eliza-dushku-expecting-second-child-husband-peter-palandjian/ |archive-date=February 27, 2021 }} In August 2021, Dushku gave birth to the couple's second son.{{Cite web |first1= Benjamin |last1=VanHoose |first2=Gabrielle |last2=Chung |date=2021-08-09 |title=Eliza Dushku and Husband Peter Palandjian Welcome Second Baby Boy: 'Boston Brothers' |url=https://people.com/parents/eliza-dushku-husband-peter-palandjian-welcome-second-baby-boy-son-bodan/ |url-status=live |access-date=2021-08-26 |publisher=People.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210810004838/https://people.com/parents/eliza-dushku-husband-peter-palandjian-welcome-second-baby-boy-son-bodan/ |archive-date=August 10, 2021 }}

Dushku serves on the board of directors of the THRIVE-Gulu organization (The Trauma Healing and Reflection Center in Gulu), an organization dedicated to helping the survivors of war (including former child soldiers) in Northern Uganda, which her mother and stepfather co-founded. She raised US$30,000 for the land for the center's building, and has performed other fundraising activities, as well as helping out in the center itself.{{citation needed|date=June 2020}}

As a role model to campus leaders for her activism, Dushku was invited by the Millennium Campus Network (MCN) as a national keynote speaker and honored as a Global Generation Award winner alongside U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry at MCN events in 2011.{{cite news |url=https://www.boston.com/ae/celebrity/articles/2011/09/20/dushku_honored_at_global_generation_awards/ |title=Dushku honored at Global Generation Awards |newspaper=Boston.com |date=September 20, 2011 |access-date=July 1, 2013 |first1=Mark |last1=Shanahan |first2=Meredith |last2=Goldstein |archive-date=April 5, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140405140938/http://www.boston.com/ae/celebrity/articles/2011/09/20/dushku_honored_at_global_generation_awards/ |url-status=live }}

Over several years, Dushku raised funds for Camp Hale, which had been attended by her father and brothers, including some specific campaigning to sustain a new concept of a girls' session at the camp, which was launched in 2012, and which she joined in person.{{cite news |last=Beltrose |first=Charlie |title=Eliza Dushku to be Honored for Creating Summer Camp for Girls |website=patch.com |url=https://patch.com/massachusetts/watertown/eliza-dushku-to-be-honored-for-creating-summer-camp-for-girls |date=2013-10-07 |access-date=2021-08-25 |archive-date=August 26, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210826004130/https://patch.com/massachusetts/watertown/amp/18967511/eliza-dushku-to-be-honored-for-creating-summer-camp-for-girls |url-status=live }}

Dushku visited her father's family and their home city in Albania in 2006 after receiving an invitation from Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha. She also visited Kosovo and got an Albanian Eagle tattoo on the back of her neck.{{cite news |url=https://www.boston.com/ae/celebrity/articles/2006/06/08/dushku_wears_her_heritage_proudly/ |title=Dushku Wears Her Heritage Proudly |first1=Carol |last1=Beggy |first2=Mark |last2=Shanahan |date=2006-06-08 |publisher=The Boston Globe |page=E9 |access-date=2008-07-13 |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304075413/http://www.boston.com/ae/celebrity/articles/2006/06/08/dushku_wears_her_heritage_proudly/ |url-status=live }}{{cite news |title=Dushku finds Tru Calling in Albania homeland |date=2006-06-08 |publisher=The Boston Herald |page=019}} While on her second visit to Albania in 2011, Dushku applied for Albanian citizenship and obtained the Albanian passport and ID Card. Dushku became an honorary citizen of Tirana,{{cite web |url=http://www.tirana.gov.al/?cid=1,62,4289 |title=Bashkia e Tiranës - Bashkia e Tiranës |publisher=Tirana.gov.al |access-date=2012-10-15 |archive-date=April 6, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120406064716/http://www.tirana.gov.al/?cid=1,62,4289 |url-status=dead }} and was given the honorary title of Tirana Ambassador of Culture and Tourism in the World by Tirana mayor Lulzim Basha.{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJeWvr6g8wE | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140906054018/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJeWvr6g8wE| archive-date=2014-09-06 | url-status=dead|title=Eliza Dushku me Bashen ambasadore e Tiranes |publisher=YouTube (via kushtha)|date=August 7, 2011 |access-date=August 7, 2011}} Additionally, she was given honorary citizen status in her father's home town of Korçë. She and her brother Nate Dushku produced a film about a joint visit to Albania, Dear Albania.

File:WW St Louis 2014 - Eliza Dushku (13768586685).jpg

In January 2018, Dushku publicly alleged having been molested by stunt coordinator Joel Kramer when she was 12 and working on True Lies. She wrote that soon after, an adult friend of Dushku confronted Kramer on set, and that the same day, Dushku was injured during a stunt and several of her ribs were broken, while Kramer was responsible for her safety.[https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1769957739689557&id=162172567134757 Facebook post] on Eliza Dushku's page, January 13, 2018, retrieved January 13, 2018. {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230918214026/https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1769957739689557&id=162172567134757 |date=September 18, 2023}}. Kramer has denied the accusation of sexual misconduct.{{cite news |last1=Mumford |first1=Gwilym |title=Eliza Dushku claims True Lies crew member sexually assaulted her aged 12 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/jan/15/eliza-dushku-accuses-true-lies-crew-member-of-sexually-assaulting-her-aged-12 |access-date=2018-01-16 |work=The Guardian |date=2018-01-15 |archive-date=January 16, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180116002748/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/jan/15/eliza-dushku-accuses-true-lies-crew-member-of-sexually-assaulting-her-aged-12 |url-status=live}}

In January 2019, CBS made a $9.5 million settlement with Dushku after she was fired from a recurring role on Bull, after informing producers of series lead Michael Weatherly's alleged inappropriate behavior on the set.{{cite web | title=Behind CBS's Secret $9.5 Million Settlement With the Actress Eliza Dushku | work=The New York Times | date=2018-12-13 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/13/business/media/cbs-bull-weatherly-dushku-sexual-harrasment.html | access-date=2018-12-14 | first1=Rachel | last1=Abrams | first2=John | last2=Koblin | archive-date=December 14, 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181214033821/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/13/business/media/cbs-bull-weatherly-dushku-sexual-harrasment.html | url-status=live}} According to documents from the official mediation, Weatherly was recorded on video making comments about spanking Dushku over his knee, soliciting a threesome, alluding to sexual assault in his "rape van", and other harassing statements.{{Cite news |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/2018/12/19/eliza-dushku-responds-what-happened-cbs-took-job-and-because-objected-being-sexually-harassed-was-fired/OCh7h0pwg4Aq7xfwOUasyO/story.html |title=I worked at CBS. I didn't want to be sexually harassed. I was fired |first=Eliza |last=Dushku |newspaper=The Boston Globe |access-date=2019-09-26 |date=2018-12-19 |archive-date=January 22, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220122192840/https://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/2018/12/19/eliza-dushku-responds-what-happened-cbs-took-job-and-because-objected-being-sexually-harassed-was-fired/OCh7h0pwg4Aq7xfwOUasyO/story.html |url-status=live}} After Dushku spoke with the producers, Weatherly texted CBS Television Studios' president David Stapf saying he wanted to talk about Dushku's sense of humor, though Stapf pushed back saying "Ms. Dushku made the show better." Days later, showrunner Glenn Gordon Caron terminated Dushku's expected role on the show, despite opposition from studio executives. The settlement amount was calculated to compensate Dushku for her loss of earnings from her planned promotion to a series regular, with "well-developed plans" set to make her a regular cast member following her three-episode guest appearance. In December 2018, when the settlement was reported, Weatherly publicly apologized for the comments. Dushku responded that Weatherly broke the terms of their settlement by speaking to the press and characterized his apology as "more deflection, denial, and spin". In November 2021, Dushku testified in front of the House Judiciary Committee about her sexual harassment accusations during her time on Bull.{{cite news |url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/11/17/entertainment/eliza-dushku-bull-congress/index.html |title=Eliza Dushku details harassment accusations at 'Bull' to congress |first=Marianne |last=Garvey |work=CNN.com |date=November 17, 2021 |accessdate=November 17, 2021 |archive-date=November 17, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211117223955/https://www.cnn.com/2021/11/17/entertainment/eliza-dushku-bull-congress/index.html |url-status=live}}

In February 2021, Dushku shared a message of support for Charisma Carpenter, in reference to allegations of abuse against Buffy creator Joss Whedon.{{Cite web |title=Eliza Dushku Supports Buffy Costar Charisma Carpenter in the Wake of Joss Whedon Allegations |url=https://people.com/tv/eliza-dushku-supports-buffy-costar-charisma-carpenter-allegations-joss-whedon/ |access-date=2021-02-12 |website=People.com |language=en |first=Ashley |last=Boucher |date=2021-02-12 |archive-date=February 12, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210212051731/https://people.com/tv/eliza-dushku-supports-buffy-costar-charisma-carpenter-allegations-joss-whedon/ |url-status=live}}

Dushku has said that she has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).{{cite web|title=CELEBRATION: Love & Bliss FLOW WITH ME..! 4/14/14|url=http://www.elizapatriciadushku.com/news/celebration-love-bliss-flow-with-me-4-14-14|website=Eliza Dushku's official website|access-date=October 15, 2016|archive-date=November 2, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141102210423/http://www.elizapatriciadushku.com/news/celebration-love-bliss-flow-with-me-4-14-14|url-status=live}} She announced in December 2011 that she switched to a vegan diet after watching the documentary Forks Over Knives.{{cite web |url=http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-3614/Eliza-Dushku-Goes-Vegan.html |title=Eliza Dushku Goes Vegan |publisher=MindBodyGreen |date=2011-12-07 |access-date=2012-04-25 |archive-date=April 19, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120419074042/http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-3614/Eliza-Dushku-Goes-Vegan.html |url-status=live }} In December 2014, she said she was no longer a vegetarian.{{cite tweet |user=elizadushku |first=Eliza |last=Dushku |number=542455198682071041 |title=@Yopispico: @elizadushku why did I assume you were a vegetarian?" I WAS..}} On March 7, 2017, Dushku attended a Youth Summit on Opioid Awareness, where she revealed that she was a recovering alcoholic and drug addict, having begun drinking and abusing drugs at the age of 14. She said her addictions were at one point so serious that her brother forbade her from being left alone with her niece, his daughter Sofia, and that she had been sober for eight-and-a-half years.{{cite AV media|last1=WMUR-TV|title=Actress Eliza Dushku addresses students at NH Youth Summit on Opioid Awareness|url=https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=kE_YylDaX5g| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211104/kE_YylDaX5g| archive-date=2021-11-04 | url-status=live|date=March 7, 2017|via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}

;Notes

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• Dushku was ranked by Maxim magazine as 6th on the "Hot 100 Women of 2009" list.{{cite web|url=http://www.maxim.com/girls/hot-100/79081/2009-hot-100-100-91.html#95|title=2009 Hot 100|publisher=Maxim|access-date=February 24, 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100225230443/http://www.maxim.com/girls/hot-100/79081/2009-hot-100-100-91.html#95|archive-date=February 25, 2010}}
• Dushku was named Ambassador for the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show Entertainment Matters program in October 2011.{{cite press release|url=http://www.ce.org/Press/CurrentNews/press_release_detail.asp?id=12194|title=Eliza Dushku Named Ambassador for 2012 CES Entertainment Matters Program|publisher=Consumer Electronics Association|date=October 27, 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120404094617/http://www.ce.org/Press/CurrentNews/press_release_detail.asp?id=12194|archive-date=April 4, 2012}}

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