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TV Hits
by Donna Walker-Mitchell
GOTTA HAVE FAITH
Life's going just the way Eliza Dushku wants it to. TV HITS finds out more about the 22 year old star of Buffy and the new horror flick Wrong Turn...

In her trademark husky voice, Eliza welcomes us into her Los Angeles hotel room. Dressed in jeans, an off-the shoulder top and walking around barefoot, Eliza sweeps up her Golden Retriever, Max Factor, and plonks him down on her lap. "I love Australia!" she blurts out. "Aussies are always straight up and they're the kind of people I like - no messing around."

It seems Eliza is the same way. She made headlines when she was rumoured to be heir to the Buffy crown and take her character Faith into its own spin-off series. But as TV HITS found out, this starlet had other plans...

Since leaving Buffy , how is everything working out?
It's been good. I definitely felt like the Buffy cast were my partners, co-workers and friends. I loved going back and being on that show. I loved the things they wrote for me to do and I loved the character they so kindly gave me to play, so I'll miss it.

Why didn't you want to do a spin-off series featuring your character Faith?
Things just unfold the way they do. There were a lot of reasons why I was excited to do it, and I lot of reasons why I felt I wanted to try something else. It wasn't that I didn't trust the show wouldn't be amazing and that Joss [Whedon, the creator] would create something as amazing as Buffy was. It's just that I had played that character on and off for five years and when you go into a TV deal like that you have to sign on for six [or] seven years and I just felt like I wanted to try something different.

When you say "something different", what do you have in mind?
For one, Buffy is a tough act to follow, and I didn't want to always be associated with that. I wanted to stand on my own two feet a little bit more. I just wanted to create a different character. I felt like Faith was so close to who I was at the time I started playing her, as I was just out of high school and I had a lot of similar traits.

What was high school like for you?
High school was a bitch! [laughs] High school was really hard and I had to become this tough chick. Five years later, I've recovered from high school a little bit and I'm not as angry at the world. Now I'm struggling with other things, like being an adult.

What was so bad about your high school experience?
It is not cute to be an actress in public school in Boston. I may as well have gone around wearing a target on my head, that said 'Kick me'. It got to the stage where I couldn't even wear anything without someone coming up to me and saying something like, "So, where did you buy that? On Hollywood Boulevard Miss Movie Star?" [laughs] It was really hard. I won't lie.

Did you ever think of giving up acting?
Yeah, I stopped acting for awhile to be somewhat normal and go to the prom and all that kind of stuff. I just wanted to be with my frienqs and hang out with people my own age, because I'd go to a movie set and be surrounded by adults. It felt like I was too old to be young and I was too young to be old. Looking back though, I wouldn't trade it for anything.

How does it feel to be one of the hottest young actresses in Hollywood?
[Laughs] That's flattering, but I don't buy into any of that stuff and neither does my family.

Do you have a boyfriend?
This is the first year I've been single in a long time. It's been about a year now and I had a high school boyfriend when I was about 15. I've been enjoying it. You forget how much you diss your friends when you're in a relationship because it's so easy to hang out with your man. So, now I'm going out to dinner with my girlfriends and hanging out a lot more. It feels good to be an individual rather than half of a couple.

Have you had the one boyfriend since you were 15?
Pretty much. I had a couple of long relationships and I've dated some really fine, great guys. I grew up with three brothers and some people think I've got a guy's personality. Guys I've dated in the past have been my best friends and I hope we'll be best friends for years. Then you get to the point where it's hard to be friends once you've had a relationship, and if you're not looking for the same things - or if you're geographically-challenged - things can fall apart. Maybe they'll come back one day.

What do you look for in a guy?
They have to be confident yet have humility. I also like guys who have a great amount of self worth and self love. Also, I love a guy who can make me laugh!

Did Desmond Harrington, your co-star who plays Chris in Wrong Turn make you laugh?
That movie is pretty scary but I have to say we were laughing our asses off most days. In Wrong Turn, he plays such a strong, handsome, serious type, but in real life he's one of the funniest people I know. We were peeing our pants laughing on the set!