what is
Ally Walker
saying?

 
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Welcome to the premiere issue of Pro-Philes, the official Profiler newsletter exclusively created for members of the Profiler fan club. Pro-Philes is a six issue "digizine" that will deliver all of the information that you want about your favorite show. 
 

ALLY INTERVIEW:

Being Profiler's franchise player has taken its toll on star Ally Walker. After two seasons of darkness, fear, and isolation, Ally is finally looking over the mountain that Sam has climbed into some rather unfamiliar territory - a world without Jack of All Trades. Now in its third season, Profiler has hired an entirely new crew, who have decided to take the show in new directions. With promises of love interests, a new home and a broadened relationship with her daughter Chloe, Ally couldn't be happier about this decision. 

Q- Are you excited about the new direction of the show and how do you see your character changing?

A- The whole show has changed fundamentally. The old show was basically clue to clue around a plot that was much    more central to the show than the characters themselves. This year, while the plots are still edgy and dark and bare, it's based more on the characters and how they react -what's going on in their lives. As you know Jack gets caught and you start to see what kind of affect he has had on Sam's life. She gets to open up and have a life and isn't his prisoner any more. It's freeing as an actor because you're not stuck playing someone depressed all the time. I think that you get to see the killers more in the show now. I think that's interesting because it lets you see where they are coming from. People are more creative than that in our society. They don't just show up. It's kind of scary and a different show. It's much more human and in-depth as well as being scary. 

Q- Is there a possibility of your having a romantic interest in the show?

A- Definitely. 

Q- Is that going to be exciting for you?

A- Yeah. I really feel that by keeping her a prisoner in her own home and kind of barring up her life like that, I couldn't stretch in new areas as an actor. A prison is a prison is a prison. You can only go in so far. I think that her sexuality has been completely ignored in the show and the possibilities are really exciting. 

Q- By eliminating Jack, you're essentially throwing Sam into a fish out of water situation.

A- Yeah, and that's great. I come from comedy, so it's really great to be playing that nervous, banging-into-things kind of character. It is interesting to play a character with such a depth of emotion that most people don't get to play especially on TV. The sheer pain of what she has gone to is so deep that it is really interesting. At the same time, coming out of that is going to be more interesting because she is like a child. She is someone who has been totally sequestered away in this darkness, and she is like a child now. She gets to look at guys like they are guys, and the simple things in life will screw her up. 

Q- How does it feel to be one of the only positive female role models on TV. What image would you like to provoke?

A- It feels really good. She has been a victim in the past. I really want to convey someone who has come from the other side of darkness and is strong and intelligent. In the 1930s and 1940s, you had Betty (sic) Davis and Joan Crawford and all of these great female role models that we just don't have today. That's why I took this role. She was like this fleshed out real person that could have been a guy. Because she's a woman, however, I think that she can do anything.   Femininity is one of the strongest characteristics one can have. Being a woman is a beautiful thing, and Sam's strength and femininity are very positive for people to see. 

Q- With Sam moving out of the safe house, is she going to still live with Angel?

A- I think that Angel will always be in her life, but I don't know whether or not she is going to live with her. I think that she will want to pursue her own life. She has really been stuck in this thankless role as the nanny. Which she is not because, she is a really good best friend. I think it would be nice to develop her life on the side as well. 

Q- People often infer that Angel and Sam are lesbians?

A- I even thought that, but no they're not. They're just really good friends. I have a best friend like that. 

Q- Do you like the decision to catch Jack?

A- Yes, I do. It opens up a whole new area. I think mental obsession is more interesting to watch. Like Clarice Starling.  She kept going back to see Lecter. I think that it was more interesting that he had her -- there were no shackles on her.  With Jack in jail, it will be interesting to see me constantly wanting to be near him. 

Q- Making that comparison to "Silence of the Lambs" do you think that could be the direction you may be taking with the Jack story line?

A- I think that she is really interested in finding out about herself. She is fascinated by him. I don't know how it is going to play out on the show. But that would be really great. 

Q- Are you going to lighten up her character a little?

A- Oh yeah. We have to. I think that they are going to make her not the only one in a room talking. I think that they are going to have much more interplay between the other characters. She is not going to be living a brutal existence anymore. She is going to sort of enjoy life. 

Q- Where would you like the character to go?

A- Tahiti!!! I think she's getting there. I think that it is very interesting to play any character. TV is a really hard thing because you're playing the same character all the time. It kind of becomes you. I think that it is interesting to see human beings responding to their lives and what affects them and why. It's interesting to watch people. It is important to watch people grow and get wiser. I think that Sam is going to come into her own more and more. I think that you do with age anyway. When women hit their 30s, life's not as traumatic anymore. 

Q- Do you think that there is going to be more involvement with Sam and her daughter?

A- We have re-cast my daughter, and the actress who is playing her is an amazing actress, and I think that there is going to be a relationship of a different type. Chloe is at that age when kids know a lot and they say a lot and they are really smart. They're brighter than most of us (adults) and they say what they feel. 

Q- What about the stuff that is brewing with Robert's character?

A- I think that it is unrequited love on Bailey Malone's part. I think that Sam is pretty oblivious. I know that he loves me, but I am never quite aware that it's romantic love. The great thing about Sam is that she is oblivious to anyone liking her because she has been trapped for so long. I don't think that they will every really do anything. We always butt heads, but we are kind of attracted to each other, and we don't like that fact. 

Q- You said earlier that you came from comedy, what made you decide to take something so dramatic and dark?

A- The pilot itself wasn't focused on the darkness. We had producers for two years that were very focused on darkness. I think that it was timing. I had written a comedy that they wanted me to do. I had a really good friend that died and I went to New York for the funeral. When I came back it (Profiler) was very soulful and healing. Also, Cynthia Saunders, who wrote the pilot, really writes well. It was like doing a film. I saw all these other actresses like Téa Leoni and Sharon Lawrence do all these half-hour comedies. I asked myself if I really wanted to do that or if I want to really sink my teeth into a really good role. It's really hard to get into film if you're a woman. So, I found this script and it was rich. 

Q- What did you do during the off season?

A- I did a film called Happy, Texas with Steve Zahn and Jeremy Northam and Bill Macy. I'm not sure when it's coming out. It's a romantic comedy. It's just adorable. It's just a great script, and I was working with these world class actors. 

Q- How was working with Bill Macy?

A- Bill Macy is hilarious. Steve Zahn is the funniest person on the planet. And Jeremy Northam was the sweetest sexiest guy. It was really funny, a real labor of love. 

Q- Do you ever inject a lot of your own revisions into the scripts?

A- Oh, yeah. I mean because we have new producers and I have been with the character for two years, we have a really open dialogue. In the end, it is the writer's decision. They are very secure in what they do. I was doing a lot more tweaking over the past two years than what I am doing this year. 

Q- How did you study for the character?

A- I talked to Bob Ressler at length. I read all of the books by (John) Douglas and Ressler. I read tons of criminal investigation studies. I come from science so I have an interest. The psychology of it is really brilliant. I talked to Ressler when the Andrew Cunanan thing was going down. He told me right away that he (Cunanan) was going to kill himself. The next day, he did. It's amazing. 

Q- How did you start acting?

A- It was a fluke. I was a scientist and I was visiting a boyfriend in Los Angeles. We were at a restaurant and this producer saw me and I asked if I would be in his film. It was a legitimate film. I went and auditioned and I got the part. It has made me a firm believer in fate. Trust me, I have worked really hard and I have waited my share of tables. 

Q- What types of Science did you study?
A- Biology and chemistry. I was just doing grunt work. 

----end Part I


 
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