We Love Lucy

    Lucy Liu talks about winning Sunday's SAG award. The 'Ally McBeal' star says statuettes are nice, but color-blind casting is even better

    by Liane Bonin

    Fox's ''Ally McBeal'' took home the Screen Actors Guild Award for Best TV Comedy Ensemble Sunday night, but don't expect newcomer Lucy Liu to clear a space on her mantel. "I'm part of the cast now, but I don't feel like it (the award) has anything to do with me," says the actress, who plays the sexily litigious Ling on the show. "I feel like the (rest of the cast) really established the show for what it is. It's kind of a cool thing to go to (awards ceremonies), but I feel like such a spectator."

    More important to Liu than the ultraheavy SGA statuette is ''Ally'' creator David E. Kelley's color-blind casting. ''It's rare to find something where you can be an intelligent, sexual figure and have a relationship with somebody where race isn't an issue,'' Liu tells EW Online. ''It's interesting how people will categorize you, even your agency. I think people are astonished by my character in terms of being ethnic and being in a very noncolored role. Because they're always going to label you, 'Oh, Asian-American, Asian-American.'"

    While Liu isn't averse to playing roles that focus on her Asian heritage, she will put her foot down on one issue -- bad writing. ''I remember reading the script of 'Patch Adams,' and I was going to go in for the roommate or something,'' she says. ''They were like, 'Robin Williams!' And I said, 'Look, I love Robin Williams, but this script isn't... you know?'" We know.

    (reporting by Josh Wolk)