‘My whole identity was wrapped up in Ally McBeal’ – Calista Flockhart on her smash hit 90s comedy rollercoaster

The Guardian Culture Monday 21 September 2026, 12:12 UTC By Interviews by Lee Campbell 1 min read

Key Points

‘In the street or at restaurants, people still come up to me and say, “I became a lawyer because of you.” But I just went to work and said my lines!’I was doing a play in New York, Three Sisters by Chekhov. We regularly got scripts sent to us.

‘In the street or at restaurants, people still come up to me and say, “I became a lawyer because of you.” But I just went to work and said my lines!’

I was doing a play in New York, Three Sisters by Chekhov. We regularly got scripts sent to us. One going around was written by David E Kelley. I flew out to Los Angeles to screen test, and I got the part right in the moment. It was a difficult transition as I felt very much settled and happy in New York and I had only been to LA briefly, to shoot The Birdcage. I was such a bad driver that I didn’t get on the freeway in LA for a year. I was afraid of it.

Calista Flockhart (PERSON) New York (LOCATION) Chekhov (PERSON) David E Kelley (PERSON) Los Angeles (LOCATION) LA (LOCATION) Birdcage (LOCATION)

Originally published by The Guardian Culture Read original →

Princess Diana's brother, Earl Charles Spencer, fired back at Buckingham Palace after the royal household questioned his recollection of a conversation with King Charles III, saying he was being "gaslit" by the monarch. Earlier this week, The Daily Mail published an excerpt of Spencer's upcoming memoir, "Swan Song: Diana, My Sister," in which the king's former brother-in-law described having a heated conversation with Charles after Diana's death. In the excerpt, Spencer alleged that Charles...

Fox News 24m ago

Typhoon Dujuan and festival clear-up: photos of the day – Monday

The Guardian’s picture editors select photographs from around the world Continue reading...

The Guardian UK 42m ago

‘Love and respect’ or ‘a cash grab’? The furious battle over the final album by the Fall

Creators of Post Script, made with vocals by the late Mark E Smith, defend it as ‘a great, positive record’, but fiancee describes it as ‘ethically wrong’The fiancee and last manager of the late Mark E Smith, frontman of the Fall, has hit out against the release of an album being marketed as the band’s final official album, calling it “ethically wrong” and a “cash grab”. When Post Script was first announced in June, several media reports assumed the nine-track album contained recordings that...

The Guardian UK 1h ago

Pink bought 200-acre California ranch; 13 years later, it became a vineyard

Singer Alecia Beth Moore-Hart, known professionally as Pink, bought a 200-acre ranch in California’s Santa Barbara County with her husband Carey Hart in 2013 for almost $9 million. The property included a vineyard. Thirteen years later, the land is also home to Two Wolves Wine, the label she created after spending years learning about winemaking and organic farming.

Times of India 1h ago

‘My whole identity was wrapped up in Ally McBeal’ – Calista Flockhart on her smash hit 90s comedy rollercoaster

Related Stories

Princess Diana's brother Charles Spencer says King Charles 'gaslit' him over memoir claims

Typhoon Dujuan and festival clear-up: photos of the day – Monday

‘Love and respect’ or ‘a cash grab’? The furious battle over the final album by the Fall

Pink bought 200-acre California ranch; 13 years later, it became a vineyard