L i b r a i r i e . . .

C o s m o p o l i t a n . . .

E l i z a  D u s h k u . . .

Eliza Dushku has perfected the art of playing a bad girl, judging from her stints as the superpowered sociopath Faith on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel and as the rebellious rah-rah girl in last year's cheerleading romp Bring It On. That's why the 20-year-old was game for stretching her wings with a comedy (August's Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back) and a drama with Robert De Niro (the upcoming City by the Sea).

Cosmo : What's the weirdest thing about being a young star ?
ED : On a movie set, people are basically waiting on you. So I used to go home and try to tell my brothers "Go make me something to eat," and they would be like "Uh-uh, it doesn't work that way."

Cosmo : What was your first kissing scene like ?
ED : I had to kiss David Boreanaz on Buffy. I started kissing him, and his faux fang poked my tongue. So we cut and I said "Could he take out his vampire teeth ? Because they just pierced my tongue." There was dead silence, and the director said, "Um, Eliza, why are you using your tongue in the first place ?" I turned red. I didn't know I wasn't supposed to kiss for real. I was like "Oh, well, I'm a method actress."

Cosmo : How is dating in Hollywood different than dating elsewhere ?
ED : When you're doing a love scene, it can be deceiving, like "Oh my God, maybe I'm in love with this person." But I try not to get involved with people I work with - I don't need the added hassle.

Cosmo : What would you do if you weren't acting ?
ED : I always wanted to be a lawyer or a doctor, and I still eventually want to go to college. When I worked with Jamie Lee Curtis in True Lies, she told me, "You need a plan B, because when you have six months to a year off, you can go nuts. You need to have another focus."