Eliza Dushku

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.