Calista Flockhart: She will forever be “Ally McBeal”

With her funny and bizarre series “Ally McBeal,” Calista Flockhart set standards and thrilled millions of viewers around the turn of the millennium. The fifth and final season aired on VOX in the spring of 2003 – but even 21 years later, the actress is still associated with her well-known series character. On November 11th, Flockhart, who is now primarily in public as the wife of Harrison Ford (82), will celebrate her 60th birthday.

She will be remembered as the young, vulnerable, but also self-centered and quick-witted lawyer from Boston who, with her big eyes and slim-cut skirt-blazer combinations, conducted the most difficult trials and was always looking for true love, with her Colleagues had strange dialogues in the unisex toilet and celebrated in the bar after work. There Vonda Shepard (61) sang songs that fit the current inner life of the charismatic main character.

The series made Flockhart known worldwide – and brought her numerous awards. She was nominated for an Emmy in 1998, 1999 and 2001. In 1998 she received the Golden Globe and two years later the People’s Choice Award. The entire cast also received Screen Actors Guild Awards in 1998, 2000 and 2001.

However, the great success also had its downsides, as she recently commented. It was “stunning” that many people watched the series and discussed it. “That’s the goal, right?” But suddenly the leading actress herself became interesting. “At the risk of sounding like whining, the paparazzi really followed me everywhere. I don’t think I ever got used to the paparazzi.” That’s why she decided to hardly leave her apartment anymore. While “Ally McBeal” reached millions of viewers, the series made Flockhart lonely. “I stopped leaving the house. I stopped going out and I was isolated. I don’t think I would go so far as to say I had depression, but it was hard.” She actually only left the house to go for a walk. “So there are a lot of pictures of me walking my dog ​​Webster. And I’m really grateful for that now.”

The constant speculation about her weight and the latent to open claims that she suffered from eating disorders also took a toll on her. “It hurt, it was complicated. I loved working on AllyMcBeal, but this really spoiled it. I wasn’t sleeping well and was depressed about it. I seriously thought it was going to destroy my career. I thought that no one would sign me because they all just assumed I had anorexia and that it was the end,” she recalled in an interview with The New York Times. She is simply of a delicate build, which runs in the family. She also believes that such a discussion would no longer be possible today. “They now call it body shaming.”

Perhaps it was also due to these negative experiences that Flockhart concentrated more on her private life after the end of “Ally McBeal”. Although she occasionally took on roles – such as in the series “Brothers & Sisters” from 2006 to 2011 – she seemed to avoid the big hype. In January 2001, the then single woman announced that she had adopted newborn Liam (23). “I am overjoyed that I am with a beautiful […] Son was blessed,” she said in a statement. She was also present at his birth. A year later, at the Golden Globes, she met Harrison Ford, who has four children from two previous marriages. The couple has been married scandal-free since 2010 The patchwork life and the 22-year age difference don’t seem to be a problem.

In an interview with the entertainment magazine “Parade” in 2020, the actor revealed the secret of his happy marriage. “Don’t talk, just nod,” he said with a wink. He also put the housework that his wife gave him before his second passion, flying. “Well, if my tasks are completed and there is nothing more urgent and the weather is good, then I’ll fly.” The Critics Choice Awards in January 2024 also showed the couple’s bond. In his speech, the “Indiana Jones” star thanked his “wonderful” wife, who “supports me when I need a lot of support.” Harrison Ford jokingly added, “And I need a lot of support.”