Buffy's Eliza Dushku reveals milestone in shock new career nearly 10 years after walking away from Hollywood
Eliza Dushku graduated with her master's degree in clinical mental health counseling from Lesley University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on Friday, June 6.
The Buffy the Vampire Slayer star, 44, shared a video clip of her receiving her degree on stage and walking off with it.
She also shared several photos to her Instagram Stories including one photo posing with her classmates all looking very happy to be done with their studies.
'Graduating with my master's degree (!!) feels like more than an achievement—it feels like a deep calling realized,' her caption began.
'True growth, energy, and passion—manifested. After nearly a decade of inner work and building a new life, I'm so grateful for this moment in time.
'To my highest self—for taking this wild leap away from everything I knew and making it happen. To my boys + ♥️—for the little sacrifices made & love you gave, each day to honor and support this dream.'
She then went on to thank her 'family, friends—new and old—my colleagues/classmates, professors/teachers, and community.'
'I give thanks: for rooting me on, encouraging me day in and day out, and affording me the grace, strength, and space to step fully into these past years of clinical training.
'Today, I stand grounded and ready to support others on their journeys of becoming—through self-discovery, healing, and transformation.
'The connectedness I feel in holding safe, compassionate space for those who seek the undertaking is such lifeblood now,' her caption concluded.
The post also featured a photo of her young kids' handwritten notes, which read 'Good Job Mommy' and 'I Love You Mom.'
Alongside her husband, real estate developer Peter Palandjian, Eliza is funding groundbreaking research and clinical trials on the potential of psychedelics, according to 2024 interview in Boston Magazine.
'I had the means to shift directions and choose a course in my life that focused on healing myself so that I could help heal others. I would be remiss if I didn't now share the transformation and the peace and the passion that I have,' Dushku said.
'This is just absolutely so clearly my real calling, my real purpose,' she continued at the time.
Dushku hasn't been seen on screen since 2017, when she appeared in Netflix's The Saint and played J.P. Nunnelly in CBS's Bull.
That year, she stepped away from Hollywood after accusing her Bull co-star Michael Weatherly of sexual harassment.
In the wake of the allegations, which Weatherly has denied, Dushku was written out of the show and told that her role as a series regular had been abruptly canceled.
Mediation with CBS resulted in the network agreeing to pay Dushku a confidential settlement of $9.5million - roughly the amount she stood to earn if kept on the show for four seasons.
Weatherly apologized for his behavior toward Dushku in a statement to the Times, saying: 'During the course of taping our show, I made some jokes mocking some lines in the script.
'When Eliza told me that she wasn't comfortable with my language and attempt at humor, I was mortified to have offended her and immediately apologized.
'After reflecting on this further, I better understand that what I said was both not funny and not appropriate and I am sorry and regret the pain this caused Eliza.'
Dushku first rose to fame in 1998 when she was cast as Faith, the rebellious Slayer, on Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Her standout role as Faith, which she portrayed until 2003, earned her a devoted fanbase and solidified her status as a rising star in Hollywood.
Dushku also starred in the hit cheerleading film Bring It On (2000), which became a cult classic.
In her personal life, Eliza married Peter in 2018, and the couple has since welcomed two children.
The family has since made a home in Boston, Eliza's birthplace, where they are enjoying life away from Hollywood.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Review Geek
28 minutes ago
- The Review Geek
Ginny & Georgia – Season 3 Episode 10 Recap, Review & Ending Explained
Monsters Episode 10 of Ginny and Georgia season 3 picks up where we left off, with Austin giving his testimony. The prosecution tries to object, but the judge overrules. Who put Austin up to this? In a flashback, we see that Ginny was the one who asked Austin to pick one parent to save. She showed him the bruises from her confrontation with Gil, and they came up with the motive. Austin chooses his mom and tells the court about Gil's falling out with Cynthia and his mom. He goes on to tell how Gil also attacked Georgia that night. The defence calls Cynthia to the stand next, and she admits that it might be possible that Gil entered her house without her knowledge. She admits that she and Georgia had connived to block Gil from getting a house in Wellsbury. It turns out that Ginny visited Cynthia and threatened to release a sex tape of her affair with Joe if she didn't lie on the stand and give the jury plausible doubt that Gil might have been in her house that night. With this new revelation, the jury finds Georgia innocent. What happens after Georgia wins the case? Georgia is stunned by the events, but Simone is quick to release a statement about justice being served. Zion thinks that the new evidence is convenient, and Ginny sticks to the story. He warns her that Austin will never be the same again. The kids return to Georgia's house the next day. Zion informs Georgia that he is petitioning for joint custody, and Ginny wants that, too. Austin appears happy, and Georgia enjoys playing the victim to her neighbours. Georgia agrees not to fight Zion and promises Ginny that she has changed. Georgia also agrees to go to therapy and take Austin, too. In the meantime, Georgia tries to resume her normal life and attends Ginny's school event. She is proud to see Ginny read her winning poem in the assembly. However, when Ginny later confesses what she did, Georgia warns her not to do it again. She is afraid that Ginny crossed the line. She doesn't want her kids to turn out like her. Ginny is not remorseful and tells Georgia that it is not always on her to carry the weight of her actions. They have also carried the weight. She wants Georgia not to kill again. On the other hand, Austin starts to struggle with the reality of his lies as his dad becomes a fugitive. Georgia's dad reaches out from prison to warn her to be careful, but it is too late because her mom and stepdad found her. What happens to Paul? Georgia's win proves to be problematic for Paul as he is being recalled. People turn against him for abandoning Georgia at her hour of need. Paul confronts Nick a few days later and fires him. Paul goes drinking at Joe's restaurant and laments on how Georgia tricked him into getting back together. Joe is confused and asks when Paul last slept with Georgia. However, Paul is too drunk and distraught to answer. This makes Joe pull away from Georgia. It doesn't help that Cynthia drops by to ask about the cameras in the restaurant, and Joe tells her that there are none. Cynthia chuckles and leaves, saying Georgia's family is insane. A few days later, Georgia visits Paul to apologise, say goodbye, and return the wedding rings. Paul blames her for ruining his life, but Georgia simply walks away. She tells him that she didn't make him something he already wasn't. Do Marcus and Ginny get back together? Yes, they do. Unfortunately, Marcus is unable to graduate to the next class since he has been failing. His parents are disappointed and in denial about his drinking problem. They decide to enrol him in summer school and ground him. However, Marcus sneaks out to party with his friends and Ginny at Brodie's house. On the other hand, Maxine confronts her friends, and they refuse to take her seriously. She goes to Brodie's party to get Marcus. Marcus drunkenly confronts his parents and rants about how he hates himself. His family is heartbroken to watch him in this state. Ginny sneaks into his room to see him and notices he has soiled the bed. He keeps asking her to read her poem about him, but Ellen kicks her out. In the end, Ellen takes Marcus to rehab, and Ginny leaves the poem in his bag. Marcus seems moved when he reads about Ginny's fear that he will leave one day. In her poem, Ginny subtly touches on the fact that she worries that Marcus's depression will send him off the cliff. Do Joe and Georgia get together? Georgia confesses everything to Joe, and he accepts her for who she is. She asks him for time to focus on her kids before they date, and Joe agrees to her terms. How does Ginny and Georgia Season 3 end? Ginny starts looking forward to spending the summer with her dad in Seoul. She thinks her mom has changed and admits she, herself, has changed. The episode ends with Georgia drinking milk, which is something she only does when she is pregnant. Is she pregnant? The Episode Review It is heartbreaking that Ginny has no idea the weight of what she has done to Austin. She has not realised how she has changed Austin's life with that one lie. Honestly, this ending was wild, and I hate what Ginny has turned into. The student has surpassed the teacher! Overall, we got some closure on the important stuff like Marcus and Ginny. Joe and Georgia, and the other couples. Unfortunately, some plot lines were left hanging. We don't know Paul's fate as a mayor, but we at least know that Georgia has a plan to save Joe's restaurant. If the plan works, the people will vote against the proposed bill. We are also concerned about Maxine, as she seems to be falling into depression. We have no idea if Abby will get help for her bulimia. However, the biggest question we have is, who is Georgia's baby daddy if she is indeed pregnant? Fingers crossed it is Joe because Paul is not it!
Daily Mail
37 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Revealed: Shocking story of Harrow-educated fraudster who paid Britney £1m to jump out of cake, gave Leonardo DiCaprio £250,000 to party with him and handed Kim Kardashian £275,000... and now he's mysteriously missing
It's been described as the most expensive private party ever, with a budget as bottomless as the supply of starry guests was inexhaustible. In a vast circus-style marquee on a five-acre lot in Las Vegas one night in November 2012, Hollywood stars, Middle Eastern princes and Wall Street bank bosses gathered to celebrate the 31st birthday of a flamboyant young man dubbed the Asian Great Gatsby. He was Jho Low, a Harrow-educated Chinese-Malaysian financier whose name was again making headlines ten days ago following the jailing of a top banker accused of helping him orchestrate a multi-billion dollar international scam whose scope and audacity still almost defies belief.
Daily Mail
41 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
George Orwell estate accused of censorship after putting trigger warning at start of Nineteen Eighty-Four
George Orwell's estate has been accused of censorship after a 'trigger warning' was added to his classic novel Nineteen Eighty Four. The preface of the the 75th anniversary edition suggests Orwell's protagonist Winston Smith is 'problematic' and that readers may find his views on women 'despicable'. The introductory essay was written by US novelist Dolen Perkins-Valdez and critics claim it risks undermining the revolutionary novel's warning against state control of thought. Orwell's dystopian hyperbolic future is set under an authoritarian regime, where citizens are punished by the 'Thought Police' for subversive thoughts. It follows Winston Smith and a minor bureaucrat who secretly rebels against the regime with Julia, a fellow party member. But their doomed affair comes to an end and the hearts of readers are broken when they are arrested, tortured and brainwashed into betraying one another. The novel has been hailed as one of the most influential pieces of literature of all time. Now, the author's estate has been accused of ideological policing. US writer Walter Kirn said on the podcast America this Week: 'We're getting someone to actually convict George Orwell himself of thought crime. 'We're not yet in a world where books and classic books are being excised or eliminated,' Kirn added, but warned the Orwell estate-approved edition of 1984 had been 'published with an apology for itself'. The book already had a foreword written by American novelist Thomas Pynchon, leading Mr Kirn to question why a second was needed. 'These people felt they needed an introduction before the old white man's introduction. So this version of 1984 has a trigger warning!' He called it 'the most 1984-ish thing I've ever f***ing read'. Ms Perkins-Valdez wrote she was enjoying the novel until Winston revelas himself to be a 'problematic' character who 'disliked nearly all women, and especially the young and pretty ones.' She added the novel doesn't address race and as a black woman she found it difficult to connect with the characters. The anniversary edition of the 1949 classic is published by Berkley Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House.
