BOSTON HERALD.COM

Walker’s profile suggests success as ‘Protector’
By Amy Amatangelo

When Ally Walker headlined the NBC series “Profiler ” 15 years ago, she was the only female lead on a network TV series.

Today, with shows such as “The Good Wife,” “Desperate Housewives” and “Harry’s Law,” that’s clearly no longer the case. “Now that’s all you see and it feels pretty good actually,” Walker told the Herald in a recent phone interview from Los Angeles. “It’s great that women can be the strong centerpiece.”

The mom of three stars as LAPD detective Gloria Sheppard in “The Protector” (Sunday at 10 p.m. on Lifetime). As the first season progresses, viewers will learn more about the somewhat mysterious Detective Sheppard. “There’s some stuff from her past,” Walker said. “You learn different bits of pieces of her life. She has a love interest and an ex-husband. You get to see Gloria be a mom and be goofy. There’s just all kinds of stuff as we get further and further on. We’ll just keep building. It’s neat. It’s really fun. I like to watch it unfold.”

In addition to her acting career, Walker is passionate about “For Norman . . . Wherever You Are,” her documentary about the foster-care system. The film came about when, while walking on the beach, she met a homeless woman and her 1-year-old son Norman. Walker got the woman into a shelter and later learned that Norman had been placed in foster care. “I was so panicked about what was happening with the baby,” she said. “I got a friend of mine, (director) Adam Davidson, to follow me with a camera. I went through all these systems. I talked to everybody involved.”

While she learned that Norman had been adopted, she talked to other children in the system who were not as fortunate. “It’s a day in the life of these kids and it’s absolutely awful,” she said. She’s currently working on finding a network to air the film (see the trailer at normanfilm.com).

Examiner.COM

The Protector' finally allows Ally Walker to be her true "character actor" self
Danielle Turchiano

Ally Walker considers herself a “character actress kind of trapped in this blonde head of hair.” At various points during LA TV Insider Examiner’s visit to the Los Angeles set of Walker’s newest project, The Protector for Lifetime, she referred to herself as “odd” and “quirky” and even “an outsider” at times. But that isn’t necessarily what immediately comes to mind when you picture the woman who has made such a career out of playing tough-as-nails detectives who somehow still manage to have very vibrant personalities and complicated personal lives outside of the job.

“I’ve always been a bit of an outsider…I just pop up, kind of. I have a life. I have children-- I have three children-- and I love the craft of acting, I’m dedicated to that…that’s always meant more to me than just hanging out… I’ve always been kind of a weirdo in that respect, but if the role is good, I’m going to do it. I just like to do different parts. I think I’ve always been this [way],” Walker pontificated.

And Walker’s co-stars note that her genuine sense of humor, down-to-Earth nature, and willingness to dig down in the trenches and do the hard work of the craft is what separates her from so many in the Hollywood machine and yet makes her so accessible and just plain lovely to be around.

“Ally is Kristen Wiig-- from SNL. She is totally a hundred percent until the light is on!” Walker’s The Protector co-star Terrell Tilford laughed. “It’s a circus!”

Some of the lightness on set certainly radiates from Walker’s sunny disposition-- during the roundtable style interview, she spoke energetically about everything, regardless of the fact that she must have been asked variations on the questions at least half a dozen times already. The love of her job clearly shined through. But some of that light and laughter most also come from the tone of the show itself. Unlike some of Walker’s previous projects (perhaps most notably her turn as the evil June Stahl on Sons of Anarchy), The Protector quite nicely balances the tension and drama that comes from working within the LAPD with the comedic banter of its characters.

“You know, I’ve done a lot of dramas, and I’ve done a lot of serious stuff-- some really heavy stuff…which I loved, but I wanted to do something light and airy. I think the challenge for an actor is always to see which parts of you you can explore and go have fun with,” Walker said of why The Protector was the perfect project for her at this juncture in her life and career.

“Life is not just one thing; life is a lot of things, and I think I’ve been lucky to do that,” she continued.

Hence the balance between her Detective Gloria Sheppard’s professional and personal lives. Like Walker herself, Sheppard is a working mother, juggling the crazy hours and high-pressure situations of her job (Los Angeles homicide detective) with running her household and caring for her young children.

Walker explained: “One of the things that we did on Profiler that I felt was right was we kept the character having a life and being a human being. This is not to knock any of the procedurals because I really like them-- you know, L&O, I’m a big fan! I have a lot of friends on them. But one of the things for me that’s always good is to find out who you are and to have the work come from the character…Those are interesting to me; that’s what I like to do.”

And seeing a bit of herself-- and some “every woman” qualities-- in the character certainly helped in choosing this project, too.

“I’ve grown up in front of the camera in a weird way, and I wasn’t that young when I started but I think as you get older, and I think this is kind of where Gloria is at…you’re strong for people without resenting people for having to be strong,” Walker shared.

“She does it with kind of aplomb and quirkiness instead of downbeat, and I like that… She’s funny. She’s funny and she’s quirky, and I thought she was odd and smart, and she has a lot of character. She wasn’t jaded and judgmental, which is great.”

And after spending some time with Walker herself, we can’t imagine her any other way!

Newyork Post

Five Questions with Ally Walker
June 10, 2011

Whether it's drama, action or comedy, there is an inherent strength to every single one of the women Ally Walker plays -- an attribute that flourishes with her steely portrayal of Gloria Sheppard on Lifetime's new series "The Protector."
As an LAPD homicide detective whose work life is actual less stressful than her home life, the former "Profiler" star anchors the addictively inventive and unexpectedly funny series. I caught up with Ally to talk about her latest wonder woman and why Gloria is a perfect TV hero for 2011!

PopWrap: What attracted you to "The Protector?"
Ally Walker: The character on the page was really phenomenal – quirky, smart, marched to the beat of her own drum, and I liked that. She loves a good non-sequitur and is always on to the next beat. I also loved that she’s tough at work but tender and sweet with the kids. We're a procedural drama, but also walk the fine line or comedy and as an actor, that’s something I always find challenging but was looking to do more.

PW: Well, anyone who saw you as Ashley Bartlett Bacon in "While You Were Sleeping" knows that you can do comedy!
Ally: [laughs] Oh man, that was such a great character. You know, there was a great scene in that movie where I’m on a plane flying back to Chicago in an attempt to make stop Peter Gallagher from loving Sandra Bullock and the stewardess asks me, “would you like eggs or ham, Miss Bacon?” [laughs] It killed me that didn’t make it into the movie, I loved that scene.



PW: I feel like the comedic tone that you mentioned really comes alive in your scenes with Tisha Campbell-Martin. Did you know each other before this?
Ally: We didn't. It’s really amazing. Tisha and I just had total chemistry from the get-go. It’s really rare to get that right away. I love her, she’s a doll, a good actress and a great woman. We’ve both been at this a long time and it can be hard or fun – so we’re both determined to make it fun. It’s a great cast and a really nice group of people. It makes going to work every day really enjoyable.

PW: Given that "The Protector" is on Lifetime, do you feel an increased obligation about bringing a female character like Gloria to life in a more grounded way?
Ally: I think that’s the interesting thing about playing Gloria – usually a character only ticks one of two boxes, but women in real life check five, six, seven boxes. There’s a lot of working moms out there and I think this will really resonate with them. Women multitask every hour of every day – and that’s what I loved about her. It’s so rare on television – too rare if you ask me.



PW: Looking forward, what excites you about this show?
Ally: I think the cases will always be interesting and twisty whodunits – and I love that, but as the series progresses, you will meet her ex-husband and she gets a love interest while all these things come up about her past. How her life turned out this way. It’s funny and sweet and close to the bone. I love that stuff, I think we have a lot of procedurals, and I think there’s always a place for that, but I think there’s an even greater place for a procedural that comes from a character standpoint – and we do that. Or at least I hope we do [laughs].

Weekend