Eliza Dushku was the queen of the early 2000s, staking her way through the Buffy the Vampire
Slayer series as Faith, and taking on the role of Missy in the teen favorite Bring it
On.
Lately though, despite her proven acting talents, she hasn't snagged any high profile gigs.
Here's a look at why Hollywood won't cast Eliza Dushku anymore.
Typecast
Dushku has starred in several TV shows over the past two decades, from Buffy to Dollhouse
to Banshee, playing what could best be described as the "Eliza Dushku" role.
That has limited her options in film, as she's been passed over for several major roles,
including Mary Jane Watson in the original Spider-Man trilogy, a role that went to her
Bring It On co-star Kirsten Dunst instead.
Dushku still occasionally gets parts in minor films like Eloise, but Hollywood seems to
have her pegged as a TV star, which puts her in a bit of a Catch-22, since she can't prove
she's capable of bigger film roles until they give her the chance at one.
Back to school
In June 2014, Dushku tweeted: "I've enrolled in college back in my hometown of Boston…"
Dushku told Boston Magazine she was taking classes at Suffolk University for a bachelor's
in sociology, taking the bus and subway to get to classes.
Her choice makes sense, as Dushku's mother was a former professor at Suffolk.
But time spent in Boston at school or taking in Celtics games is time out of the Hollywood
spotlight.
And you know what they say: out of sight, out of mind.
Charity case
Dushku's mother Judy has been involved with charities abroad for awhile.
In honor of her 30th birthday in 2010, Eliza teamed up with her mom and digital media site
Tonic to raise $30,000 for THARCE Gulu, a center for former child soldiers in Gulu,
Uganda.
Eliza and her then-boyfriend Rick Fox visited Uganda that same year, sealing Eliza's love
of charity work.
She told BuzzNet, "It was unbelievable to hear their stories first-hand.
Rick and I weren't under the university's liability so we went to Gulu.
We visited some of the camps where people had been displaced.
They were forced to leave their land and live in really small, cramped camps."
Dushku is well aware of how she can leverage her celebrity to help people in need.
"I immediately realized how many… how many people you could reach and, and how many people
will support you because they like you and they want to be part of the things that matter
to you."
In 2013, Eliza was honored in her hometown of Boston for developing a program for inner-city
girls in New Hampshire.
The ceremony at Fenway Park honored her as a "Camp Champion" by the American Camp Association.
Political activist
Dushku's social media accounts are filled with political statements, which is nothing
new for the outspoken actress.
In 2016, she told Boston Magazine, "People will always also go, 'You're just a dumb actress,'
and I'm like, 'Well, my mother did teach government and comparative politics for the last almost
50 years.'
I may be just a 'dumb actress,' but I also have picked up a few things and observe the
goings on of our country.
I think that I have a right to have an opinion—and an educated one at that."
Between her charity work and her political activism, Dushku seems to have found a higher
calling than landing a role in the next Tru Calling.
Documentary darling
Dushku's documentary Dear Albania took five years and a Kickstarter campaign to film.
The documentary brings to light the people of Albania.
Dushku, who is part Albanian, talks about the country's plight with issues like communism
and dictator rule.
Dushku told BostInno, "Everybody knows [Greece and Italy] and nobody knows anything about
Albania other than that the kidnappers from the movie Taken were Albanian and that Kirsten
Dunst did a fake war with a green screen in Wag the Dog in Albania.
We thought it was important we put Albania a little more on the map for people."
"There's just so much history that deserves to be um… seen and understood.
It's a challenging process and I learned a lot."
She's busy with other things
Besides modeling and appearing in music videos, Dushku has also been doing voicework for animated
films and TV shows.
And she's still landing television roles in both made-for-TV movies and ongoing shows,
like the hit series Bull.
With everything else on her plate, though, the question may not be whether or not Hollywood
wants her, but whether she needs Hollywood.
We can't wait to see what she takes on next!
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