There seems to be a stigma surrounding child actors who appear in huge films: many are seen once and never again. Some spiral into drugs while others just disappear. Eliza Dushku debuted in the 1994 James Cameron film True Lies. Starting your career on a film directed by one of the biggest directors in the world and a cast that included Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tia Carrere, Tom Arnold and Charlton Heston is a lot for any 12 year old. Fortunately for the world, Dushku has gone on to build up an amazing resume of TV and film in the last 20 years.

"I think I just continued to show up and bring what I do. I don’t really know if other people have done it differently. I feel there are times in my life where I have tried to leave the business to go back to school or do something else with my life and I get pulled back in. I hate it when people say crazy shit like it’s meant to be but it definitely has pulled me back at times when I’ve looked to do something else. I am grateful for it and the things I am able to do and the fact that I have been able to do it for so long. 20 years of True Lies is definitely trippy. We just did the Blu-Ray and Jim (Cameron) put together the crew that did his Avatar behind the scenes film and they did interviews and it was wild to look back at it and to think about what a killer and crazy experience it was and to think it was so long ago. Tom Arnold and I live-tweeted a screening of it. It is remarkable, what a cool thing, as a 12 year old, to be able to go spend a year doing that with such talented people."

Dushku counts co-star Jamie Lee Curtis as one of her influences. Another actor who started young in film and built a career her way, Curtis showed a young Eliza how to operate in Hollywood.

"She was incredible. I remember when we first decided on the film, my Mother didn’t have a lot of experience with actors or Hollywood we were pretty green when we came on the scene. I remember a couple of days of knowing Jamie on set my mother looked me in the eye and said, you watch that woman she knows how to be a class act and a feminist in a club run by the boys and she is not to be played with. She was sexy and strong and funny and had all the qualities. So I did watch her closely for those 9 months and [she was] someone I looked up to."

GayCalgary Magazine spoke to Eliza Dushku over the phone in advance of this weekend’s sold out Calgary Comic & Entertainment Expo. Dushku’s resume includes working alongside Robert DeNiro, Leonardo DiCaprio and James Belushi. Films such as Wrong Turn, Bring It On, and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, and TV shows like Tru Calling have made fans around the world. At her appearance Expo weekend, many of those waiting to meet her were there because of her character Faith in the Joss Whedon shows Buffy The Vampire Slayer & Angel, and as Echo in Dollhouse.

"I would say a big part of it is the Joss Whedonverse shows. But I get a lot of people from different projects – Tru Calling, Bring It On, I feel like there is a little something something for everybody along the way. It is usually pretty mixed but it can be pretty Faith heavy."

Being part of 3 of Joss Whedon’s shows displays the connection between the two of them, and Dushku gets excited while speaking of Whedon.

"It is a lucky little family. I am definitely psyched to have been and be a part of that little crew. You do feel like you are a part of history when we were in the Buffy-sphere. It has really transcended and what most shows will ever do is sort of a phenomenon and I have seen the effects of how it has reached around the world. I can go to any country and find Buffy fan pockets and that is extraordinary. So I am lucky and grateful and always pinching myself a little bit. Plus I love Joss, he is just a bro. He is somebody I am proud to call my buddy."

Dushku was an executive producer and played the lead character Echo on the 2009-2010 show Dollhouse. When the show was cancelled by Fox it was disappointing, but unlike many shows that just go off the air Dollhouse resolved its storylines.

"It was very nice of Fox to let us have that chance, and I say that truthfully. A lot of shows they pull the plug and it is just don’t show up for work tomorrow. You don’t have closure and it is an awkward scenario for everyone. The fact that they picked us up for the second season when we didn’t have the numbers on the main nights. We were one of the first shows where they started to consider DVR numbers but it wasn’t quite in time. We were one of the highest DVR’d shows because we had that lovely Friday night death slot time when we aired. They still gave us a second season and then midway when they cancelled it they still let us finish it which I thought was very thoughtful of Fox."

Recently Dushku has been doing a lot of voice work for cartoons like Jay & Silent Bob’s Super Groovy Cartoon Movie and voicing She-Hulk in Hulk & The Agents of S.M.A.S.H. Doing voice work is a different experience from being physically on screen, but one she has enjoyed thus far.

"I get to show up in my pajamas and don’t have to spend an hour in hair and makeup, and I get to sit in a room with a bunch of funny talented guys and do something that I hadn’t done before in my career. We just finished the first season of Hulk Smash and I played She-Hulk. The cast was insane with some real voice over veterans in the room, every week I would go in to record I would nerd out. I love all things comic-booky. I learned a lot, it is different and a lot of fun but it is still so fast and a creative vibe. Last week I watched some of the finished episodes and I just wanted a bowl of cereal and to sit and watch 5 episodes on my sofa. It looks really good, it is smart, funny and has an old school vibe."

In speaking with Dushku it was evident that she was very excited to attend the Expo.

"Honestly what I enjoy most is meeting people. For so long I was in a place where you couldn’t get access to the fans. Even things like Twitter you can speak your truth. I like things straight from the horse’s mouth and direct communication. With these shows you actually have that few minutes of face time where you literally have people run up and say I have waited 20 years to say bla bla bla to you. I get riveted and excited by that. Everybody is there in a positive place. I am a big fan of other people so it is a joyous occasion to get a weekend where everyone gets to geek out, I really feel that way."

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Contributor Jason Clevett |

Person Eliza Dushku |

Topic Angel | Buffy the Vampire Slayer | Calgary Expo | Celebrity Interview |Comic Expo |