Calista Flockhart Thought Anorexia Rumors Would ‘Ruin’ Her Career: ‘It Was Painful’

In an interview with the New York Times, the actress — who famously starred as the titular character in the series from 1997 to 2002 — opened up about how the frequent speculation that she suffered from anorexia affected her mental health and career.

“I was an easy target, I guess,” Flockhart, 59, recalled. “It was painful, it was complicated. I loved working on Ally McBeal, and it just made it sour. I was very sleep-deprived and I was depressed about it. I did think that it was going to ruin my career. I didn’t think anybody would ever hire me again, because they would just assume I had anorexia, and that would be the end of that.”

“I had days where I was really hurt and embarrassed and infuriated,” she added. “I was lucky that I had to work. I just put my head down. I always felt like, ‘Calista, you’re a good person, you’re not mean to anybody,’ and I’m confident in that.”

Flockhart also pointed out that she doesn’t believe people would make assumptions about her weight if she starred in Ally McBeal today.

“I don’t think that would ever happen today,” she said. “They call it body-shaming now. I haven’t thought about it in a long time, but it’s really not OK to accuse someone of having a disease that a lot of people struggle with.”

“It wasn’t the case, and there was nothing I could do to convince anybody or get out of it,” she added. “If I had worn a big padded bra, they probably would never have been able to target me in that way. I look back at pictures, and I’m the same then as I am now, and nobody says a word now.”

Flockhart shared that she’s “never been in a situation” where she had to “watch my weight,” noting that her mother weighed less than a 100 pounds when she was married, and is now 4’11.

“I just have small bones,” added the star, who is 5’5, “and I just am lucky.”