[cross-post from CM]
In my opinion Eliza Dushku is not a good actress. I know that is not going to fit well with some Buffy and Angel fans. But, it's my strong opinion.
She's soap-opera level. 90210 level. She exaggerates lines because she seems to think that is "acting". She makes for a fine supporting character, because she is pretty and can hold down a character actor role good enough to get by. In fact, she can make a pretty good one-dimensional actor if there is enough smart alec in there to distract from the fact that she cannot portray more than one personality. But she cannot play the lead in this kind of show that calls for depth of personality, and have the show be good. And she isn't going to get any better - because she has enough experience to have had that development happen already, and it did not.
And because she is not a good actress, or good enough for this kind of role at least, I think the show will fail.
Others will of course disagree. I suspect most who disagree come from a background of already liking her from Angel and Buffy. Some respectable sources seem to agree with me on this one.
For example, the San Francisco Chronicle said:
But "Dollhouse" doesn't work, on numerous levels - starting with Dushku. She's not a sufficiently compelling actress to pull off the various personas she's given. What's worse, "Dollhouse" wants the "dolls" to be childlike and unencumbered by thought when they're not on assignment. This doe-eyed, vacant state does not suit Dushku. She mainly walks around bemusedly, looking wan.
Star-Ledger:
The Dushku factor: Hey, look! It's Eliza Dushku in a micro-mini! Hey, look, it's Eliza Dushku with her hair in a bun and a skirt-suit! How versatile! I don't want to be too dismissive of her. I think there are certain things she does very, very well, most of which (sass alternated with vulnerability) Joss Whedon showcased nicely in "Buffy" season three. But she's not the chameleon actress that this role requires, and when she puts on the glasses and the skirt-suit, she doesn't seem like a different person, but like Faith trying to bluff her way through a crisis. The other two episodes I've seen have the imprinted roles falling very much in Dushku's wheelhouse, which is better for plausibility's sake but not so helpful for the larger idea that she starts over from scratch as a new person each week.
Popwatch:
But I'm not sure she's got the tools for the job. As I watched the premiere, I couldn't help but wonder, What would an actress like Naomi Watts do with this role? Super-confident and tough-as-nails are right in Dushku's wheelhouse, but when Whedon asks her to play brittle, or overwhelmed, or sheepish, or do an accent, things might not go as smoothly.
Waterloo Record (Canada):
My guess is that Dollhouse -- despite creator Whedon's reputation as a studio-bucking maverick who delights in tweaking convention -- won't be the show to crack the barrier and gain traction with mainstream viewers, not only because the convoluted nature of its premise makes it hard to follow, but because his modelesque lead actress comes off as more of a tortured mannequin (and unwitting prostitute) than a woman of depth and substance.
Wide-eyed and innocent, she toddles around the dollhouse looking vaguely perplexed -- say, didn't I used to be someone else? -- until her smart-aleck handlers fry her brainwaves and mould her into yet another one-dimensional archetype.
There are a dozen other actresses with the right look, and better acting ability, available to play this role. I fear Joss falling for Eliza, on a personal level, has blinded him to her lack of acting depth sufficient to play this role.
And because she is also a producer, I think there is no way out. She is stuck with the role, he wrote the role for her, bent over backwards for her by going with Fox (where she is obligated under contract), and he gave her a truck load of cash and a percentage through production rights. So, the show fails or succeeds with her, and I think it fails because of her. And this time, she may take Joss down with her.
