I find myself really feeling like it's possible that maybe the greater contribution I'm going to be able to make through this next phase of my life might be as a writer writing wonderful parts for women, or even writing wonderful parts for myself, you know?

She also teaches yoga. "I grew up moving almost every year and so I was always the new kid in school and always in a way was deprived of ever really having any lasting friendships" Allen said in 1987. Early life
Allen was born in Carrollton in rural western Illinois the daughter of Patricia Allen (née Howell) a teacher and Carroll Thompson Allen an FBI agent.

Allen has also had roles in films including National Lampoon's Animal House (1978) The Wanderers (1979) Cruising (1980) Starman (1984) Scrooged (1988) The Sandlot (1993) and Poster Boy (2004).