For someone who never felt passionate about acting, Eliza Dushku is doing a pretty impressive job. "There were things that made me uncomfortable about acting," she admits. "But for the first time ever in my career, I love going to work every day."

And what's not to love? The 21-year-old actress, who plays bad girl Faith in Buffy and Angel, high-kicked herself into a hot silver-screen career last summer with her performance in the cheerleading comedy Bring It On. And the roles have been piling up for the Boston native ever since.

For starters this year, she plays a college student opposite '99 Sizzler Wes Bentley in the psychological thriller Soul Survivors. Then she once again picks up the pom-poms ("I have a little cheerleading sequence, but it's not about that," she emphasizes) for the quirky comedy New Guy, which turns DJ Qualls from loser to lover when he changes schools and falls for Dushku. She's also filming the drama City by the Sea, which reunites her with Robert De Niro (they both appeared in This Boy's Life).

Plus, Dushku's signed to costar alongside Ben Affleck and Matt Damon in Kevin Smith's still untitled new flick. There's word of a possible brief return to Buffy. And there's even talk that she'll reprise her role as the daughter of Jamie Lee Curtis and Arnold Schwarzenegger in True Lies 2.

"[Jamie] actually called me at home and said, 'Eliza, this is your mother,' " laughs Dushku, who lives with her brother, Nate, and fellow 2001 Sizzler Eddie Cahill (who rents a studio from the pair). "She said, 'I just want you to know I'm telling them [True Lies 2] has to be about you.' I was like, Go for it!"

Funny, that's exactly what Dushku is doing these days.

--Jeffrey Epstein


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