Flockhart Faints, Bounces Back

By Stephen M. Silverman

06/18/1998 at 12:00 AM EDT

"Ally McBeal" star Calista Flockhart, 36, returned to work Friday after being hospitalized for dehydration and exhaustion earlier last week, her publicist told news services. On Wednesday, Flockhart reportedly collapsed on the show's set in Manhattan Beach, Calif., and spent six hours at Torrance Memorial Hospital, where doctors fed her intravenous fluids, said spokeswoman Melissa Kates. (In the past there has been much comment on just how thin Flockhart is.) The star was released that same day and sent home, which is where she spent Thursday. "Everything's back to normal," said Kates, who noted that Friday marked the final day of shooting of the hit Fox TV show before it broke for a two-week hiatus. Kates also added that Flockhart often puts in 17-hour days and that she and the rest of the acting ensemble have been experiencing a "stressful and emotional time" since the Nov. 25 arrest of cast member Robert Downey Jr. on drug charges.