In 1994, Hilary Swank secured her largest film role to date, as the heroine of The Next Karate Kid. 1994: Hilary Swank kicks it up a notch in the film The Next Karate Kid.
Television proved to be a solid training ground for the actress, and in 1992, Hilary landed a supporting role in the feature film Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Hilary swank oscar million dollar baby series#
Within her first year in Los Angeles, she made an appearance on the television series Harry and the Hendersons and soon won recurring roles on the popular situation comedies Evening Shade and Growing Pains. The teenage Hilary settled into a new life, attending South Pasadena High School while auditioning for films, commercials and television pilots. Judy’s persistence in seeking opportunities for her daughter brought a meeting with Hollywood’s premier agent for child actors, Bonnie Liedtke, who represented Hilary Swank until she turned 21. They lived in their car for the first few weeks until Judy found a job and temporary housing. The two drove south in 1990 with $75, one gas station credit card and no leads for finding a home. When Judy and Stephen Swank divorced, mother and daughter made the move to Los Angeles. Her mother, Judy, believed in Hilary’s talent and wanted to give her a chance to make a career of it. Swank credits her mother’s faith in her for her success as an actress. In her teens, she competed in the Junior Olympics as a swimmer, but by age 16, acting had become her primary focus. While she pursued self-expression through acting, she also distinguished herself as an outstanding swimmer and gymnast. With her mother’s support, she began to pursue acting outside of school, winning the Best Junior Actress Award at the Bellingham Theatre Guild. She was disturbed at first to find herself cast in a boy’s role, but she was thrilled to lose herself in a character and loved the intensity and camaraderie of the rehearsal process. Auspiciously, she was chosen to play the feral man-cub Mowgli. One of her first performances on stage was in her fifth grade class production of The Jungle Book. Hilary Swank, recipient of two Oscars for her performances in the films Boys Don’t Cry and Million Dollar Baby.Īs a child, Hilary Swank found relief from her loneliness when she discovered acting. She credits a close relationship with her mother, Judy, to developing her self-confidence despite the hardships of her early years. Shunned by the snobbish families of many of her classmates, young Hilary sought solace in books and movies, identifying with the struggles of the characters she found there. Hilary and her parents lived in a trailer park on the outskirts of Bellingham. Hilary’s older brother and only sibling, Dan, left home in his teens. By the time she was six, her father, Stephen Swank, had moved the family to Bellingham, Washington. I wouldn’t even need to read it, I would just say, ‘yes!’.” Considering all of the things that Swank has done, including working with astronauts which was a childhood dream of hers, it says a lot that Eastwood is such an important person to her.Hilary Ann Swank was born in Lincoln, Nebraska. It’s a matter of aligning our schedules, but I would do anything if he asked. We actually have been talking about trying to find something. “I adore Clint Eastwood for all the reasons everyone else does. He stands in the lunch line and never wants to cut.”ĭuring another interview with the Independent from 2015, Hilary Swank outlined how deeply she respects Clint Eastwood and she made it clear that she considers him to be a mentor.
I love him but, you know, he quickly makes everyone feel really comfortable. “He just made me feel right at ease and, but I mean, he’s a legend.
For example, in 2017 Swank was asked about working with Clint during an appearance on Watch What Happens Live and she sang his praises. On the other hand, Swank has made her feelings about her former co-star quite clear. Considering Clint Eastwood’s advanced age and the fact that he seems to no longer care about the trappings of fame, it isn’t surprising that he hasn’t gushed about Hilary Swank in public.