• January 24, 2000
• Vol. 53
• No. 3

Court Appeal

Playing a Sexy Secretary on Ally Mcbeal Sustains Newcomer Gina Philips

From day one, Gina Philips knew that being the new girl on Ally McBeal would be a challenge. "The first scene we shot, I come out of the bathroom stall and the whole cast is staring at me," says Philips. "Then Billy Thomas [Gil Bellows] introduces me as his new secretary and everyone starts giving me evil looks. Even though I knew it was fake, part of me wanted to crawl into a hole in the floor. I was a little scared."

Not to worry. After a few days on the set playing Sandy Hingle, Philips, 29, bonded with the group. "Gina is like sunshine," says costar Portia de Rossi. "It's lovely to have somebody really excited and new."

The Miami-born Philips left the University of Pennsylvania after her junior year to pursue acting, much to the chagrin of her parents, Robert, 56, a dog racetrack owner, and Fredi, 54, a fund-raiser. But they're proud of her role in David E. Kelley's series. "All of his women end up being really strong, really smart," Philips says. "I knew I was in good hands."

Like any card-carrying Ally vixen, Philips is fiercely independent. For now the actress, who recently ended a three-year liaison with actor Johnny Whitworth (The Rainmaker), could take or leave dating. "A guy better be really special, as I would much rather be home with friends watching movies and eating pizza than out with someone I don't really like," says Philips. "I feel so fulfilled in my life already."