EDForum

TRU CALLING
Eliza Dushku greets fans and answers questions at her Wizard World Boston panel.


The star of Tru Calling and Buffy the Vampire Slayer hosted a Q&A panel Saturday at the Bayside Expo Center. Here's a few of the questions, in case you missed it.

What new projects are you working on?
I'm working on a movie called "Nobel Son" about a dysfunctional family. The father, played by Alan Rickman, wins the Nobel Prize. I play City Hall, and insane asylum escapee. Bill Pullman, Danny Devito and Peter Boyle are also in it.

Then I kind of went on a limb and I signed up to do an off-broadway play in New York called "Dog Sees God". It's actually about the Peanuts gang, but Snoopy's dead and it's ten years later and the gang's all in high school.

Did you like playing Faith when she was good or bad?
I liked kicking Buffy's butt. I got to be wicked evil.

Why did you decide to become an actress?
I didn't decide to be an actrress actually. I tagged along with my older brother to an audition and I got my first part.

How did you feel about Tru Calling getting cancelled?
Everything happens for a reason. Tru Calling had some real triumphs and things that really didn't gel. I learned so much and I know it's a boring response, but I'm kind of thrilled to be out of the six year chains of a television show.

How was it working with Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes
They are completely insane and they want you to know they're out of their minds.

How do you feel about the impact the character Faith had on the fans?
I thought it was profound the effect Faith had on fans and young women in particular. She made me feel strong. That concept, being on a TV series and reaching out to women all over the world...I thought Joss was a genius for ending the series (Buffy) with her passing the slayer powers to all young women.

Would you work with Joss again?
I would follow that man anywhere. he's a genius. He writes women and he gets women. It's not that I'm done with TV, but i hear Joss is doing a little movie called Wonder Woman (laughs). I'd slap on the dukes for that.

Eliza seemed very sweet and genuine on stage. Right away she pointed out her family and her boyfriend, who were sitting off to the side, and talked about how happy she was to be back in Boston. She said that the night before, she'd gotten to hang out with Manny Ramirez before the game, and that she'd been totally starstruck. She asked for the score of the game that was in progress during her Q&A, and when someone told her (the Red Sox were losing), she said something like "We're just not going to talk about that..." She said she misses Dunkin Donuts, and lamented the expense of Starbucks, which she nick-named "five-bux". She asked if she got to be the "teacher", and called on people with "sir" and "miss". Sometimes she would look over to her family for help remembering something, and they would chime in with some bit of information. Somehow Eliza and her mom's matching pyjamas came up - she said something like "That's so personal! Now all you guys know about my pyjamas!"

The first question was about her new projects. She said that she's doing a movie called "Nobel Son", in which she plays a mental patient, and a Peanuts-related play in New York, in which she plays, coincidentally, a mental patient. She said doing the play was "going out on a limb," and said that she was going to hang out with her brother, who is an actor in New York, and pick his brain for stage acting tips. Someone asked how she felt about Tru Calling being cancelled, and she said that actually, she was kind of relieved to be free of the responsibility of a leading TV role. She suggested that Tru's character had run it's course, and even went so far as to say that she thought the show had never really "gelled". When asked about the possibility of working with Joss again, she said that she wasn't necessarily finished with TV. She also expressed interest in Joss's Wonder woman project. Someone asked if there was any role she would never do. She didn't give specifics, but said that in the past, she has turned down parts because she's conscious of her family, and of the religion she "was raised in", and didn't want to do anything that would hurt them. That got some applause from the audience.

When asked about growing up in Watertown, she said that she loved it, but that sometimes it was difficult. She was in public school there when she did True Lies, and she said some people, including teachers, gave her a hard time. She revealed her favorite Watertown hangout (which I can't remember). She mentioned that her parents are both teachers, and that she really liked learning, and frequently considered going back to school.

She said that she has two dogs, named Coco Chanel and Max Factor. Coco Chanel is a chocolate lab/pitbull mix, "so none of y'all better be rustling in my bushes," she joked. Later, Paul asked her what "sucks most about being famous". She was emphatic that she would never say that it sucks, because she's so grateful -- she said it's changed her life, and the lives of her family members. She did say that although she didn't let it get to her, the constant scrutiny was sometimes trying, such as being called too fat, or too skinny, in the media. She said that in general though, her life was not very scandalous. Someone wanted to know the strangest rumor she'd heard about herself, and she said something about a Matt Damon/Ben Affleck sandwhich... thought a moment, and then decided that might not be so bad. "Sorry honey!" she said to her boyfriend.

Someone asked if she would sing happy birthday for her, and Eliza said "Oh no, I have the worst voice!" then asked for the girl's name, and proceeded to sing (very nicely!) a short happy birthday for her.

ben le problème c'est que ça faisait gonflé, je sais pas comment dire, ça ressemblait plus à des kilos mal pris et vite, enfin je sais pas, ça m'avait choquée