Buffy the Vampire Slayer star Eliza Dushku updates fans on very different life after leaving Hollywood for shock career change

Eliza Dushku made a rare public appearance this week, nine years after leaving Hollywood behind for a surprising new career. 

The Buffy the Vampire Slayer star, 45 who is known for playing the outspoken, fiery slayer Faith in the hit TV series, took to Instagram and posted a video of herself strolling through the baseball field in her hometown of Boston on Thursday, May 28. 

In the clip, she sported longer, lighter brunette hair compared to the darker, long bob she sported when starring in Buffy and the spinoff series Angel.

She talked about taking part in a marathon being organized by the nonprofit she works for now after stepping out of the limelight.

Dushku previously retired from acting in 2017 and made a career pivot into mental health counseling and trauma care. 

Per Boston Magazine, Dushku was inspired to embark on new career path after being diagnosed with PTSD and undergoing treatment herself seven years ago.

Dushku’s last role was in the 2017 action-adventure film The Saint. 

She is best known for portraying Faith in seasons three, four and seven of Buffy. Dushku also played the same character in the spinoff series Angel, appearing in six episodes in seasons one and four. 

She is also known for playing the cheerleader Missy in the 2000 cheerleading comedy Bring It On. 

In her latest social media update — nearly a decade after she stopped acting — she showed her fans footage of her walking around Fenway Park, home to the Boston Red Sox, while talking about training for a marathon.

She was talking to Boston Globe Media CEO Linda Pizzuti Henry about signing up for the Run to Home Base marathon to support local veterans.

In the video, she encouraged other people to join even if they walk instead of running the marathon set to take place in July. 

‘I got to be honest, I’m getting a little nervous,’ she said to Henry at one point. ‘I run after my kids, that’s about the extent of it.’ 

She married Peter Palandjian in 2018 and shares sons Bourne, seven, and Bodie, five, with the billionaire businessman and former tennis player.

Another one of her recent social media updates showed her getting ready for a run and talking about the upcoming marathon.

On Thursday, May 21, Dushku posted a clip of her putting on her running shoes to go jogging.

She was makeup-free and sitting on the ground outside when she explained her motivation for running the marathon and shared why the organization ‘really matters’ to her. 

‘Not gonna lie: I’m not running this because I love running,’ she said in the video and also wrote in her caption.

‘I’m running because the mission behind the Home Base Program is incredibly important to me,’ she continued. 

In June 2025, the Bring It On alum graduated with a master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling with a focus on addiction, recovery and trauma at Lesley University. She also received a certification in psychedelic assisted therapy through a California university.

Since then, the retired actress has been working to treat patients using holistic psychology and psychedelic therapy. 

Earlier this month, Dushku also returned to her alma mater to receive an honorary doctorate and give a speech at the commencement ceremony about her new career, working with veterans and their families as a mental health counselor at Home Base. 

Late last year, Dushku confirmed she retired from acting after a 25-year career, which began with her first role at just age nine, in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter. 

‘I couldn’t get back to school long enough to figure out what my new career would be, so I kept acting,’ she explained as she recalled how she was preparing to go to college at age 17 when she was offered a role on Buffy. 

Reflecting on her acting career after nearly a decade away from the limelight, she said: ‘I had many beautiful experiences. Certainly, I also had many harder experiences, which I’ve talked about, but I would be remiss if I didn’t truly highlight all the incredible people that I met and worked with.’ 

She told the outlet about how she celebrated 17 years of sobriety in November 2025 and also opened up about how psychedelic assisted therapy for PTSD inspired her new career path.

She previously accused Bull costar Michael Weatherly of sexual harassment and sued CBS after being written off the series in retaliation for reporting the incidents. In 2018, she received a $9.5 million settlement from CBS. 

Separately, she also alleged that stunt coordinator Joel Kramer sexually assaulted her when she was 12 years old and filming the 1994 film True Lies.