Eliza Dushku

Led Tru Calling and Dollhouse, then left acting for a career in mental health counseling and psychedelic-therapy advocacy.

After the show

While still playing Faith, Dushku built a film career with Bring It On (2000), Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001), The New Guy (2002) and Wrong Turn (2003). Fox then gave her the lead in Tru Calling (2003 to 2005), a supernatural drama about a morgue worker who relives days to prevent deaths.

She reunited with Joss Whedon on Dollhouse (2009 to 2010), starring as Echo and serving as a producer; she has described Whedon as a friend and mentor who brought her back to television for that show. She also did voice work, including She-Hulk on Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. (2013 to 2015). Through her company, Boston Diva Productions, she was involved in the film Mapplethorpe (2018).

In 2017 Dushku was written off CBS’s Bull after she raised complaints about harassment by the series lead. In December 2018 The New York Times reported that CBS had reached a $9.5 million settlement with her, and in November 2021 she testified about the experience before the House Judiciary Committee.

In February 2021, after Charisma Carpenter’s statement about Joss Whedon’s conduct, Dushku posted her support: “CC, my heart aches for you & I’m so sorry you have held this for so long. Your post was powerful, painful, and painted a picture we’ll collectively never un-see or un-know.” She added, “From courage, come change and hope. It starts and will end because of courageous truth-tellers like you.”

Lately

Dushku earned a bachelor’s degree in holistic psychology from Lesley University in 2020 and a master’s in clinical mental health counseling there in June 2025, calling it “a deep calling realized.” She now works in mental health and advocates for psychedelic-assisted therapy for trauma.

She is an executive producer of In Waves and War, a documentary about veterans seeking ibogaine treatment, which Netflix released in November 2025. In a December 2025 interview with The Hollywood Reporter she confirmed she has retired from acting, saying, “I will not be in front of a camera again unless it’s in some capacity that is in service of my new work and passion.”

Off screen

Dushku married businessman Peter Palandjian in 2018. She sits on the board of THRIVE-Gulu, which supports war survivors in Northern Uganda, has promoted tourism to Albania, and has spoken openly about her recovery from addiction.