"I had no idea who David Lynch was," said Boyle about the show's eclectic but highly respected director. "Working for him was quite an experience. You can't pay for memories like that." The series, which gained a near-cult audience and had viewers asking, "Who killed Laura Palmer?" nonetheless had a brief run, from April 1990 to June 1991.
    Film roles in both major and independent studio productions were quick to follow, but it was The Practice that really made Hollywood take notice. Ironically, her role on The Practice was the result of losing another big role—the lead in Ally McBeal, for which she auditioned in mid-1997. David E. Kelley, who produces both shows, was so impressed by Boyle that a few months after her audition he decided to write her into The Practice, then in its second season. "My agents said, 'You'd be crazy to join that sinking ship,'" said Boyle. Nonetheless, her mother encouraged her to accept the role on the strength of Kelley's track record. The Practice is now one of the highest-rated dramas on television and shows no sign of slowing down. Nor does Boyle.
    "I was supposed to do this," she said firmly of her role on the courtroom drama. Indeed, she is so convinced that she is where she needs to be that she can barely consider life after The Practice. "I am so grateful for this opportunity," she said. "I will do this for as long as they'll have me."

Heavy Caseload
Centered around a small law firm in Boston called Donnell, Young, Dole & Frutt, The Practice was an obvious extension for Kelley, whose previous work has included being the supervising producer of L.A. Law as well as the creator and producer of Chicago Hope, Picket Fences, Ally McBeal, and Doogie Howser, M.D. The storylines on The Practice seem especially true to life in part because of Kelley's own brief experience as an attorney in the mid-1980s. And his scriptwriting has struck a chord not just with the viewers but with his players as well. "Once in a while a sore spot will be hit." said Boyle. "And while I might not always agree with the viewpoint I have to portray, because I play a district attorney, as an actress I can always tell myself that my character is trying to take the moral high ground."
    The show, which is produced around an eight-day schedule, requires Boyle to shoot for four days of the eight. On workdays, she gets up at 4:00 a.m. and goes until 10:00 p.m. "On Fridays we sometimes go until two in the morning," Boyle said. Yet, it is not so much the long hours that she finds challenging, but rather learning all of her courtroom dialogue. "I had never watched a law show prior to being cast on The Practice," she said. As a result, she continued, memorizing her scripts is "like Cliff Notes Law School."
    The long hours are made easier by the cozy rapport shared among the cast. "We are like a family," said Boyle, speaking with particular affection for Kelley and her Irish-American co-star, Dylan McDermott. "I give Dylan and David a shamrock every St. Patrick's Day," she said. Yet, while Irish heritage is something that both McDermott and Boyle take pride in, sometimes their shared heritage becomes too close for comfort. "When our characters were romantically involved, people used to tell Dylan and me that we looked more like brother and sister, because we are both so Irish-looking."