Calista Flockhart got her big break in the '90s with her starring role in Ally McBeal.
Despite appearing in several successful shows since, she seems to be missing in action lately.
Where is Calista Flockhart, and what has she been up to?
Even those who don't know Calista Flockhart from her own work are probably familiar with
her husband, Harrison Ford.
Flockhart and Ford got together in 2002 after meeting at the Golden Globes, and they went
public with their relationship in 2003.
Despite their 22-year age gap, the couple has been inseparable ever since.
As former Ally McBeal co-star James Marsden explained,
"I was a third wheel on her first date with Harrison Ford."
When Ford isn't acting, he's passionate about aviation.
But in March 2015, the actor was taken to the emergency room after being injured in
a plane crash.
Naturally, Flockhart didn't want to leave Ford's side, and when he was released from
the hospital, she was reportedly completely focused on helping him recover.
It's more than understandable that someone might want to dial back on work after such
a cary experience like that.
For whatever reason, Flockhart hasn't appeared in a film since 2005.
The actress originally got her start on TV, and her very first role was playing a babysitter
named Elsie in the soap opera Guiding Light.
After a few more bit parts on various TV shows, she began landing acting jobs in movies like
The Birdcage and A Midsummer Night's Dream.
But eventually, she switched back to working in TV, and it's been well over a decade since
she's appeared in a film.
Perhaps she just really loves television.
Since wrapping up work on Supergirl in 2018, Flockhart hasn't appeared in any other TV
shows, and she isn't slated to either.
However, this isn't the first time that Flockhart has taken a long break from acting.
For instance, between 2011 and 2014, she had no on-screen credits at all.
After Brothers & Sisters wrapped in 2011, it seems that the actress took a couple years
off to spend time with her family, indulge in her other interests, and probably just
relax.
Honestly, most of us wouldn't hesitate to take a lengthy sabbatical if we had millions
stashed in the bank already.
Even when Flockhart started working again in 2014, she wasn't trying to hustle like
crazy.
She did voiceover work for one episode of Robot Chicken and one episode of Penguins
of Madagascar, had recurring roles on the series Web Therapy and Full Circle, and made
an appearance on the show Facetiming With Mommy.
After landing her part as Cat Grant on Supergirl, Flockhart didn't even remain a regular cast
member for long.
The show premiered in 2015, and by 2016, Flockhart had already dropped down to a recurring role
instead.
It seems like Flockhart simply wanted to work part-time, which was probably somewhat motivated
by Supergirl shifting production from Los Angeles to Vancouver.
But it's undeniable that a reluctance to take on full-time commitments might be making it
harder to land roles.
Like most celebrities, Flockhart has grown and changed after decades in Hollywood.
She's not the same person she was when she first walked on to the set of Ally McBeal.
At the 2015 Television Critics Association panel, Flockhart revealed,
"I think I'm older, I think I'm wiser.
I think my priorities have changed a lot...My family is very important to me...I like to
get home for dinner.
I like working in L.A. That's pretty much it."
Basically, at this point in her career, the actress is not going to settle.
Being more selective is by no means a bad approach, but it made Flockhart seem a lot
more elusive than many Hollywood stars.
When Ally McBeal aired, Ally wasn't exactly hailed as a feminist hero.
There was plenty of criticism directed at Flockhart's character, and it was all too
easy for people to conflate Ally's personality with Flockhart herself.
As the Los Angeles Times recalled,
"[Ally McBeal was seen {as] the neurotic, man-hungry female that is a setback for intelligent,
liberated women."
People who have worked with Flockhart admit that the media has often been too hard on
her.
The executive producer of Brothers & Sisters, Ken Olin, told the Los Angeles Times.
"Wherever she shows up, for whatever reason, she's such a lightning rod for media and scrutiny
and a certain kind of resentment, and I don't think that's always easy for her, but she's
doing it....She's had to be tough.
That hurts her feelings."
Flockhart has always tried to maintain a separation between her professional and private life.
She wasn't the kind of actress who liked to give juicy tell-all interviews, and she certainly
didn't want the paparazzi following her every move.
Unfortunately, her efforts to have a somewhat normal life behind the scenes gave off the
impression that she was chilly and unapproachable, rather than strategically guarded in order
to protect her own privacy.
It's a shame that this resulted in a reputation for being too reserved.
As Flockhart told the Los Angeles Times,
"I don't know what people expect.
I don't know what people want me to do...And if they get disappointed that I don't satisfy
something that they're looking for, then I don't quite know what that's about."
Flockhart isn't a huge fan of doing promo events for shows either.
All of this has seemingly worked against her when it comes to the way she has been portrayed
in the media.
Ally McBeal was a major hit, so it's no surprise that some of the people involved with the
original production are interested in the possibility of a reboot.
Creator David E. Kelley told Variety in 2019,
"I would not be opposed to that being done again, but in somebody else's hands because
I did that one, and I think if it were going to be rebooted, it should be started up by
somebody else, and preferably a woman."
Whether or not Flockhart would return to play the title role remains unclear, but the actress
has often spoken about her love of acting.
She told the Los Angeles Times,
"At my real heart, I'm a character actress, and I do crave playing all kinds of different
roles...But the good thing about television is that characters do change."
For now, at least, Ally McBeal fans will just have to go back and binge the original series.
But maybe one day, Flockhart will be back playing the iconic character that made us
fall in love with her.
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