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Buffy's Eliza Dushku reveals milestone in shock new career nearly 10 years after walking away from Hollywood

Buffy's Eliza Dushku reveals milestone in shock new career nearly 10 years after walking away from Hollywood

Daily Mail​07-06-2025
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.
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