Fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer are chomping at the bit for any news on the upcoming continuation series, which sees Sarah Michelle Gellar return as a tutor to a younger Chosen One. But one actor who squashed any hopes for her Buffy return is Eliza Dushku, who played rogue Slayer Faith. She’s been doing the rounds recently, talking about her retirement from acting back in 2017 with her sole focus now on her role as an advocate for psychedelic therapies in dealing with trauma. She’s produced a new Netflix documentary on the subject titled In Waves and War. And via an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, we learned she has zero plans to return to play Faith or any other acting role for that matter. Here’s what she said:
Oh yeah. I will not be in front of a camera again unless it’s in some capacity that is in service of my new work and passion. People ask me all the time if I miss it. And I don’t. Again, not because it wasn’t fulfilling. It was, and I did it for 25 years. I’ve met people who point out to me that I have lived these two lives, and I value both of them.
In recent interviews, Sarah Michelle Gellar has stated that she hopes as many former cast members from the original show make a return as possible. Even if their respective character died. Faith ended left for dead at the end of season three, but was actually in a coma. She revived in season four, becoming a recurring guest star on both Buffy and Angel. Viewers last saw Faith fighting alongside Buffy in the series finale “Chosen.” So as far as we know, Faith is still out there. The new revival series will have to explain what became of Buffy’s former enemy-turned-ally via dialogue.
Even if she won’t return as Faith, Dushku is nothing but proud of her Buffy legacy. She says the show serves as “A reminder of what it can be like to survive high school and adolescence. It helps people find themselves. Again, that’s one of those roles that I’m so grateful for. I’m so grateful that I could play a part in something so much bigger than me. It’s so iconic and still reaches people in a way that touches humanity.”
However, who knows what the future holds? For decades, Sarah Michelle Gellar swore off any return as Buffy. And look how that turned out. Maybe one day Dushku can be coaxed back to holding her wooden stake one last time.