The US actress plays 'doll' Echo in the sci-fi TV series, a part written specially for her by Buffy The Vampire Slayer creator Joss Whedon.

"Considering that Joss sort of created the show around me and my schizophrenic personalities, I think there are a lot of parallels," she said.

"I'm a Type A control freak so when someone's trying to call me something or fit me into a square hole, I get a little feisty sometimes. There are pieces of me and there are pieces of everyone."

Eliza, who co-produces Dollhouse, reckons Joss - who she worked with on Buffy - is a dream to work with, because he writes strong female roles.

"He obviously empowers women but he also empowers everyone," she said. "When you look at his ensemble shows, whether it was focusing around Buffy or focusing on Echo, there is an unbelievable cast around both of those characters."

The 29-year-old is thrilled with the strong fanbase the show has.

"It's always flattering to have fans. I enjoy it," she said.

"I think the flipside about fans can be the intense scrutiny and sometimes I'm not very good at being scrutinised!"

:: Dollhouse is shown on Tuesdays at 9pm on Sci Fi.