How ‘Ally’ Got More Groove

At Il Fornaio, an Italian bistro adjacent to the Raleigh Manhattan Beach Studios, film actor Taye Diggs is offered a complimentary serving of tiramisu, which of course the chiseled star can’t touch. Being conscious of his fat intake is nothing new for Diggs, who flaunted his muscles and bared his buns in films such as 1998’s “How Stella Got Her Groove Back” and 1999’s “The Wood.”

But now Diggs must be even more conscious of his body fat, having signed on to Fox’s lean, mean, fighting machine “Ally McBeal” as Jackson Duper, the hunky new attorney assigned to bring heavy-duty cases to Cage & Fish. So the tiramisu-to-go winds up on a desk outside the “Ally” sound stage, cruelly taunting the svelte stars who pass by--first Portia de Rossi, celebrating her 28th birthday that day, and Calista Flockhart, who playfully confiscates the dessert before returning it to the desk.

“Shhh,” whispers Flockhart, her finger placed over her lips as she disappears down the hallway. “Don’t say anything.” Sorry, Calista, couldn’t resist.

But the women of “Ally McBeal” have no need for tiramisu. Executive producer David E. Kelley has given his “Ally” cats a far more tempting morsel of eye candy: Diggs, who’d been taking meetings with several TV networks about the possibility of joining a series.

“We were looking for a real charismatic actor to come in the next episode after Robert [Downey Jr.] exits,” notes executive producer Bill D’Elia. (Downey said goodbye this week but has already shot additional scenes to air at a date yet to be determined.) “Taye is an extremely charismatic, very sexy guy, with a great sense of humor and a real easygoing way about him. When Jackson shows up, all the women--even Ally--are smitten.”

So seem Flockhart, de Rossi and co-star Jane Krakowski--all staring dreamy-eyed at Diggs as he and Lisa Nicole Carson croon a sultry duet that will be heard in Diggs’ third episode (airing Feb. 26) and will likely be included in the next “Ally” soundtrack. Most of the female cast only get to watch Diggs, but Carson and Lucy Liu will actually get much closer. Their characters, Renee Raddick and Ling Woo, have been chosen by Kelley to compete for Jackson’s affections in a love triangle. When we first meet Jackson on Monday’s episode, it will be revealed that he and Ling share a past.

“They knew each other for like a day, but she fell for him pretty hard,” explains Liu of Ling and Jackson’s history. “He was supposed to be married to somebody else and he broke off his engagement with this woman. So there’s a lot of tension.”

The tension Diggs provides will be primarily of a sexual nature, notes Carson, who first developed a liking for Diggs when she caught his suave performance as an author in the 1999 romantic comedy “The Best Man.” “He was so cool and calm on screen,” she recalls. “There was a slight lilt of a West Indian accent that was reminiscent of Sidney Poitier, and now he’s bringing his raw, sexual energy to our show.”

Diggs wasn’t always a hit with the ladies. As a student at the High School of the Performing Arts in Rochester, New York, he was a self-described nerd with broken, Scotch-taped glasses and a giant Afro. In 11th grade, Diggs enjoyed his first, innocent relationship with dancer Jennifer Franklin, with whom he reconnected in January to celebrate his 30th birthday.

Though Diggs recently ended a 4 1/2-year relationship with Idina Menzel, he doesn’t rule out a reunion with the actress. They still speak regularly, and he says he misses her “terribly.”

Prepared for Criticism of Interracial Romance

Diggs refuses to listen to criticism from those who might object to his “Ally” character being interested in an African American and an Asian American. It is criticism that he learned to ignore in real life when dating Menzel, who is white, spurred negative reaction from some of the African American women he’d pass on the street.

“There are certain qualities I want in a woman--no matter black, white or whatever,” says Diggs, who says he is currently interested in a Latina back in New York. “A woman has to know how to dance.”

Asked for his take on Carson, Diggs describes her as “sultry--with a very sexual presence. She reminds me of a jungle cat, the way she cascades down the hallways. I’ve never seen her walk quickly or run--she’s almost too poised for that.”

Before sizing up Liu, Diggs takes a long pause, contemplating the essence of the “Charlie’s Angels” actress. “Lucy Liu. . . ,” he smiles. “Lucy gives you dynamics. You look at her and you think, ‘Breathtaking.’ If this is politically incorrect, forgive me, but the way her face is made up--I don’t know if it’s the Asian influence, she can appear at times to be almost cold. But on set, she’ll walk into a scene--perfect, athletic body, and will bust out into a dance. No qualms about . . . just having fun. And that is very, very attractive.”

Liu offers equal praise for Diggs. “Everything to him is like a dance,” she says. “It’s so beautiful to watch him even enter a room.”

So which woman will end up winning Jackson’s heart? If the producers and cast know, they certainly aren’t telling. “Taye starts going out with Lisa Nicole while Lucy’s still committed to a relationship with Fish, and we don’t really know what’s going to happen,” says D’Elia. “Whatever scenario you can concoct--whether he winds up with this one or that one, it’ll probably be something else.”

“The way that it’s happening is slow and subtle,” adds Carson. “There’s so many twists and turns, we still really don’t know so I don’t want to get my hopes up too high. But I can tell you Renee has more to offer Jackson, so Lucy better not try anything.”

Committed for a six-episode run, Diggs is now discussing with producers the possibility of extending that stay--possibly through the end of the season or beyond. An extension wouldn’t be unusual, considering the elongated runs of this season’s previous big-name guest stars, Robert Downey Jr. (extended from eight to 11 episodes, with more being discussed) and Anne Heche (extended from three to seven).

“Although a story arc is planned, if it works out to be a pleasant experience, as it has with Robert and Anne, you don’t have to do that exit,” says D’Elia. “There’s no strong bible for the show. David has this great stone on his coffee table in his office that says, ‘Nothing is written in stone.’ Taye’s entered this cast with such great ease. If he wants it--whether it’s on this show or another, he has great series regular appeal.”

But Diggs says he probably wouldn’t want to commit to signing on as TV series regular. “Calista told me how hard it is to carry a show of your own. But to me, this is hands-down the best show on television--just brilliant. So I’m just going to have fun and see what happens.”

* “Ally McBeal” can be seen Mondays at 9 p.m. on Fox.