Eliza Dushku, 37, is suddenly a very rich woman. The brunette beauty made waves recently for being awarded $9.5 million in a settlement with CBS for the sexual harassment she received on television show Bull. But there’s more to her than the abuse she went through – the actress has been in the industry since she was a child, working with some of the greatest talents in Hollywood. Here’s what you should know about Eliza.
1. You may recognize her from her roles in Bring It On as the alternative cheerleader Missy Pantone or Buffy The Vampire Slayer‘s Faith Lehane. Or, if you kept following Joss Whedon shows, Eliza also starred in Dollhouse as Echo, a doll for wealthy clients to hire. She’s acted with major stars including Robert de Niro, Leonardo DiCaprio, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Sarah Michelle Gellar.
2. Eliza grew up in Watertown, Massachusetts. As a child, Eliza enjoyed playing the drums and piano, and also practiced ballet, tap, and jazz. “Growing up I was as big a tomboy as you can get,” Eliza said. “When my father would take my three older brothers and me to games, we’d go into the boys’ room. I have actually peed in the urinal at Fenway.” The actress also camped in the mountains when she grew up, she told IGN.
3. She celebrated ten years of sobriety this last November and is passionate about helping others in recovery. “I’m interested in addiction and recovery work,” Eliza told DuJour. “There’s just such an epidemic — a pandemic, really — going on with drug- and alcohol-related deaths and I see it everywhere. I see it in my own communities in Los Angeles and in Boston. It’s devastating. I want to be more qualified to do work in that field.”
4. She was scouted by casting agents when she was 10, which led her to star in That Night (1992), playing Alice Bloom. Juliette Lewis and Katherine Heigl were also in the movie!
5. Eliza is vocal with her political beliefs, having supported both President Barack Obama and Senator Bernie Sanders publicly in the past.