--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When Calista Flockhart read for 'Ally…" description: "\"When Calista Flockhart read for 'Ally McBeal', I saw this perfect chemistry between the words on the page and the person who would embody that characte..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/358/dana-walden-29862_ally-mcbeal_when-calista-flockhart-read-for-ally-mcb_793878.jpg" --- # When Calista Flockhart read for 'Ally McBeal', I saw this… ![“When Calista Flockhart read for 'Ally McBeal', I saw this perfect chemistry between the words on the page and the person who would embody that character.” quote by Dana Walden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/358/dana-walden-29862_ally-mcbeal_when-calista-flockhart-read-for-ally-mcb_793878.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/358/dana-walden-29862_ally-mcbeal_when-calista-flockhart-read-for-ally-mcb_793878.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/358/dana-walden-29862_ally-mcbeal_when-calista-flockhart-read-for-ally-mcb_793878.jpg) > “When Calista Flockhart read for 'Ally McBeal', I saw this perfect chemistry between the words on the page and the person who would embody that character.” [Dana Walden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-walden/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Seeing a perfect match between a character's script and the actor who will portray it highlights the power of alignment in storytelling. **In simple terms:** A great fit between script and actor creates strong chemistry. Key Takeaway Seek roles that resonate with your essence. Themes casting character alignment Mood excited optimistic Type observational insightful When to use this quote - auditions - film casting - character development Key Concepts actor script chemistry Questions to Reflect On - How do you identify when a role truly fits you? - What elements signal strong chemistry? A Different Perspective A perfect match is rare; not all scripts find their ideal actor. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ally mcbeal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ally-mcbeal/) [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Chemistry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chemistry/) [Perfect chemistry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perfect-chemistry/) [Words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/words/) ## Related quotes > [“It is said that one should keep one's allies within view, and one's enemies within reach. A valid statement. One must be able to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-zahn/it-is-said-that-one-should-keep-one-s-allies-within-view-and-one-s/) [Timothy Zahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-zahn/) > [For my 'Perfect Chemistry' series, I did movie-style book trailers, and my fans went crazy for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-elkeles/for-my-perfect-chemistry-series-i-did-movie-style-book-trailers-and/) [Simone Elkeles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-elkeles/) > [You have an awareness of your body and how to use it and I think that if you can embody a character physically it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mia-wasikowska/you-have-an-awareness-of-your-body-and-how-to-use-it-and-i-think-that/) [Mia Wasikowska](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mia-wasikowska/) > [I like actors who just are who they are, with a little bit of qualification to adapt to their character. But mostly they just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-gondry/i-like-actors-who-just-are-who-they-are-with-a-little-bit-of/) [Michel Gondry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-gondry/) > [I'm very much the type of actor that once I embody the character, I could stay in it from the beginning to the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adewale-akinnuoye-agbaje/i-m-very-much-the-type-of-actor-that-once-i-embody-the-character-i/) [Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adewale-akinnuoye-agbaje/) > [To embody a character, you have to lose all judgment about them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clemence-poesy/to-embody-a-character-you-have-to-lose-all-judgment-about-them/) [Clemence Poesy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clemence-poesy/) > [I believe that every character I create is in their own film, that happens to overlap with the main film. There are complete and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-lily-amirpour/i-believe-that-every-character-i-create-is-in-their-own-film-that/) [Ana Lily Amirpour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-lily-amirpour/) > [I love doing accents because it takes you one step away from yourself and allows you to embody someone else's character.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mia-wasikowska/i-love-doing-accents-because-it-takes-you-one-step-away-from-yourself/) [Mia Wasikowska](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mia-wasikowska/) > [If I had been on 'Ally McBeal,' I would have been seen coming out of the shower on the first show.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-lowe/if-i-had-been-on-ally-mcbeal-i-would-have-been-seen-coming-out-of-the/) [Rob Lowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-lowe/) > [Hi! Im Ally McBeal, homewrecker. Heres my card.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ally-mcbeal/hi-im-ally-mcbeal-homewrecker-heres-my-card/) Ally McBeal > [I'd love to do a court-room drama. I loved 'Ally McBeal.' That was one of the main reasons I went to law school.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebel-wilson/i-d-love-to-do-a-court-room-drama-i-loved-ally-mcbeal-that-was-one-of/) [Rebel Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebel-wilson/) > [My stint with 'Ally McBeal' is something I never planned nor expected.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vonda-shepard/my-stint-with-ally-mcbeal-is-something-i-never-planned-nor-expected/) [Vonda Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vonda-shepard/) > [I mean Ally McBeal was sort of the closest thing I can think of to kind of being a comedy-drama but that had its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-feig/i-mean-ally-mcbeal-was-sort-of-the-closest-thing-i-can-think-of-to/) [Paul Feig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-feig/) > [I had a really tragic cut at the beginning of Season 2 of 'Ally McBeal.' Someone convinced me that it would be good to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-krakowski/i-had-a-really-tragic-cut-at-the-beginning-of-season-2-of-ally-mcbeal/) [Jane Krakowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-krakowski/) > [The biggest similarity between me and my character is that we've both played clubs for 20 years. In real life, the clubs aren't quite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vonda-shepard/the-biggest-similarity-between-me-and-my-character-is-that-we-ve-both/) [Vonda Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vonda-shepard/) ## More by Dana Walden > [When I was little, my parents took away candy except on the weekends. So I'd rush out of my room at 5:00 A.M. on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-walden/when-i-was-little-my-parents-took-away-candy-except-on-the-weekends/) [Dana Walden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-walden/) > [I think the best entertainment tackles social issues in a sort of seamless way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-walden/i-think-the-best-entertainment-tackles-social-issues-in-a-sort-of/) [Dana Walden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-walden/) > [As a woman in this organization, I can say that I don't ever feel that I was discriminated against or prevented from opportunities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-walden/as-a-woman-in-this-organization-i-can-say-that-i-don-t-ever-feel-that/) [Dana Walden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-walden/) > ['American Idol' was an extremely expensive show.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-walden/american-idol-was-an-extremely-expensive-show/) [Dana Walden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-walden/) > [In 1995, I had been chosen to make a short presentation about the state of the TV business at a company retreat in Santa…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-walden/in-1995-i-had-been-chosen-to-make-a-short-presentation-about-the/) [Dana Walden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-walden/) > [It's hard to tell why something touches a zeitgeist and when that same show doesn't in other places.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-walden/it-s-hard-to-tell-why-something-touches-a-zeitgeist-and-when-that/) [Dana Walden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-walden/) > [When I got the first e-mail suggesting we cast Zooey Deschanel in 'New Girl', I thought, 'That's exactly right.' In the pilot of 'Modern…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-walden/when-i-got-the-first-e-mail-suggesting-we-cast-zooey-deschanel-in-new/) [Dana Walden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-walden/) > [The development process is not that simple... When I started working at Fox in '92, the company had decided that dramas were dead: they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-walden/the-development-process-is-not-that-simple-when-i-started-working-at/) [Dana Walden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-walden/) > [We are providing a platform to creators who are expressing their emotions; they are expressing what they are feeling - fears, joys, terror. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-walden/we-are-providing-a-platform-to-creators-who-are-expressing-their/) [Dana Walden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-walden/) > ['Prison Break' on Netflix has generated a whole new generation of viewers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-walden/prison-break-on-netflix-has-generated-a-whole-new-generation-of/) [Dana Walden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-walden/) > [A director has to be on the set when the crew is called and is the last one to leave at night. I'm not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-walden/a-director-has-to-be-on-the-set-when-the-crew-is-called-and-is-the/) [Dana Walden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-walden/) > [My mother had no interest in cartoons. I remember thinking, 'I am never going to grow into that person.' Which is so ironic -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-walden/my-mother-had-no-interest-in-cartoons-i-remember-thinking-i-am-never/) [Dana Walden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-walden/) > [You have to develop a broad range of projects. One thing we've seen with 'This Is Us' is that people want to escape a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-walden/you-have-to-develop-a-broad-range-of-projects-one-thing-we-ve-seen/) [Dana Walden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-walden/) > [Our news is Fox News. It's a cable channel and has nothing to do, frankly, with the entertainment area of the company. It's the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-walden/our-news-is-fox-news-it-s-a-cable-channel-and-has-nothing-to-do/) [Dana Walden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-walden/) > [It's no longer permissible to have sexist comments, but growing up in this industry, I spent time in many other organizations where it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-walden/it-s-no-longer-permissible-to-have-sexist-comments-but-growing-up-in/) [Dana Walden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-walden/) [Explore all 18 Dana Walden quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-walden/) ## More Ally mcbeal quotes > [The biggest similarity between me and my character is that we've both played clubs for 20 years. In real life, the clubs aren't quite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vonda-shepard/the-biggest-similarity-between-me-and-my-character-is-that-we-ve-both/) [Vonda Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vonda-shepard/) > [I had a really tragic cut at the beginning of Season 2 of 'Ally McBeal.' Someone convinced me that it would be good to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-krakowski/i-had-a-really-tragic-cut-at-the-beginning-of-season-2-of-ally-mcbeal/) [Jane Krakowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-krakowski/) > [I mean Ally McBeal was sort of the closest thing I can think of to kind of being a comedy-drama but that had its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-feig/i-mean-ally-mcbeal-was-sort-of-the-closest-thing-i-can-think-of-to/) [Paul Feig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-feig/) > [My stint with 'Ally McBeal' is something I never planned nor expected.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vonda-shepard/my-stint-with-ally-mcbeal-is-something-i-never-planned-nor-expected/) [Vonda Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vonda-shepard/) > [I'd love to do a court-room drama. I loved 'Ally McBeal.' That was one of the main reasons I went to law school.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebel-wilson/i-d-love-to-do-a-court-room-drama-i-loved-ally-mcbeal-that-was-one-of/) [Rebel Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebel-wilson/) > [Hi! Im Ally McBeal, homewrecker. Heres my card.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ally-mcbeal/hi-im-ally-mcbeal-homewrecker-heres-my-card/) Ally McBeal > [If I had been on 'Ally McBeal,' I would have been seen coming out of the shower on the first show.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-lowe/if-i-had-been-on-ally-mcbeal-i-would-have-been-seen-coming-out-of-the/) [Rob Lowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-lowe/) > [ It was so nice to go into this fake courtroom \[on Ally McBeal\]. I immediately went up into the judge's chair. Nice view. A… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-downey-sr-2/it-was-so-nice-to-go-into-this-fake-courtroom-on-ally-mcbeal-i/) [Robert Downey, Sr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-downey-sr-2/) > [Every time Mulder smiles, people say, 'God, it was great to see you smile. Mulder never smiles.' I say, 'Mulder smiles a whole lot.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-duchovny/every-time-mulder-smiles-people-say-god-it-was-great-to-see-you-smile/) [David Duchovny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-duchovny/) > [On her extreme thinness during her 'Ally McBeal' years: "I started under-eating, over-exercising, pushing myself too hard and brutalizing my immune system. I guess…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/calista-flockhart/on-her-extreme-thinness-during-her-ally-mcbeal-years-i-started-under/) [Calista Flockhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/calista-flockhart/) > [Let me tell you something, I didn't become a lawyer because I like the law, the law sucks. It's boring, but it can also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-fish/let-me-tell-you-something-i-didn-t-become-a-lawyer-because-i-like-the/) [Richard Fish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-fish/) > [Whenever I get depressed, I raise my hemlines. If things don't change, I am bound to be arrested.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/calista-flockhart/whenever-i-get-depressed-i-raise-my-hemlines-if-things-don-t-change-i/) [Calista Flockhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/calista-flockhart/) > [Sex for men: when it's right, it's right; when it's wrong, it's still right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-fish/sex-for-men-when-it-s-right-it-s-right-when-it-s-wrong-it-s-still/) [Richard Fish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-fish/) > [Everybody said, 'You hit it so big when you were on 'Ally McBeal.' ' I didn't do anything for a year after 'Ally McBeal,'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-ryan-evans/everybody-said-you-hit-it-so-big-when-you-were-on-ally-mcbeal-i-didn/) [Josh Ryan Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-ryan-evans/) > [The world is no longer a romantic place; some of its people still are however, and therein lies the promise. Don't let the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cage/the-world-is-no-longer-a-romantic-place-some-of-its-people-still-are/) [John Cage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cage/) [Browse all 22 Ally mcbeal quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ally-mcbeal/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When Calista Flockhart read for 'Ally McBeal', I saw this perfect chemistry between the words on the page and the person who would embody that character.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Dana Walden" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-walden/when-calista-flockhart-read-for-ally-mcbeal-i-saw-this-perfect/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ally mcbeal" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-walden/when-calista-flockhart-read-for-ally-mcbeal-i-saw-this-perfect/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/358/dana-walden-29862_ally-mcbeal_when-calista-flockhart-read-for-ally-mcb_793878.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/358/dana-walden-29862_ally-mcbeal_when-calista-flockhart-read-for-ally-mcb_793878.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/358/dana-walden-29862_ally-mcbeal_when-calista-flockhart-read-for-ally-mcb_793878.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When Calista Flockhart read for 'Ally McBeal', I saw this perfect chemistry between the words on the page…” — Dana Walden", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Dana Walden", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-walden/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When Calista Flockhart read for 'Ally...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-walden/when-calista-flockhart-read-for-ally-mcbeal-i-saw-this-perfect/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-walden/when-calista-flockhart-read-for-ally-mcbeal-i-saw-this-perfect/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```