Hilary Swank
- Profession: Actress
- Place/Date of Birth: Lincoln, Nebraska
Hilary takes the romantic route - Jan 4 2008
After her demanding, award-winning roles in Million Dollar Baby and Boys Don't Cry, Hilary Swank has taken a big departure with a role in new romantic comedy PS I Love You - released in the UK today.
The Hollywood beauty stars alongside 300 hunk Gerard Butler in Richard LaGravenese's film adaptation of Cecilia Ahern's best-selling novel.
The two time Oscar recipient explains the decision behind her change in direction: "Well I love doing drama, and, you know, I've pretty much made a career out of doing drama, but it was a great opportunity to do something romantic and comedic and fun.
"I think PS I Love You is a movie that is funny but also based in reality so there is a lot of laughter through your tears."
Hilary has admitted her acting inspiration comes from a wide variety of sources.
"I'm always happily surprised when I see a newcomer," the PS I Love You star says. "Seeing little Miss Sunshine last year, I cried in that movie, and I laughed really hard, and that little girl in it I was just so inspired by."
Meanwhile, despite being one of the sexiest bachelors in the acting world, co-star Gerard Butler doesn't think it's "healthy" to get caught up in the Hollywood hype.
"What do I think of being called sexy? Well if you even answer that then you're pretty much assuming your sexiness," he says.
"You'd rather have someone say you were sexy, or good looking rather than being ugly, but at the same time, I can say this from the heart, I don't get too caught up in any of it."
Swank covers up for movie premiere - Dec 20 2007
Hilary Swank was forced to cover up at the European premiere of her latest film as the chill Irish winter took its grip on the US actress.
The Academy award winner was half way down the red carpet for the launch of PS I Love You in central Dublin when she had to stop and pull her coat on.
"It is so cold," she exclaimed, as she was quickly handed a white wool overcoat that soon shrouded her stunning but less than cosy Yves Saint Laurent evening dress.
But hundreds of Dubliners braved the Christmas cold to catch a glimpse of the Hollywood star who has already won two Oscars for Best Actress.
Despite the crisp conditions, a warm welcome from fans - some queueing for more than an hour - seemed to have touched Swank as she stopped several times to talk and sign autographs. "I think the theme of PS I Love You is so beautiful, I think it’s such a beautiful love story," she told one.
"I think it’s a reminder of what’s important in life. Not to take the people you love for granted because you don’t know what is going to happen tomorrow."
She told reporters that she thought Ireland was beautiful and that she hoped to come back again to soon to visit when she wasn’t working.
"When we filmed PS I Love You, I got to see some of the beautiful countryside and that was stunning. It was just like the films and pictures portray it," she said.
Asked if she had a chance to enjoy herself while filming in Co Wicklow, she beamed: "I enjoyed the Guinness."
Hilary wants life ’balance’ - Dec 18 2007
Two-time Academy Award-winning actress Hilary Swank has told how she’s "looking for balance" in her life.
Speaking in LA on the promotional trail for her new movie PS I Love You, the US star vowed that her New Year’s resolution this year would be to "try and find some balance in my life, I need to balance it out a little more".
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Swank has also described her younger self as an "outsider" who felt that she belonged "only when reading a book or seeing a movie, and could get involved with a character", and was thus inspired to become an actress.
When she was nine years old, Swank made her first appearance on stage starring in The Jungle Book, and thereafter became heavily involved in her school and community theater programs, including those of the Bellingham Theatre Guild. She went to Sehome High School in Bellingham until she was sixteen.
Swank also competed in the Junior Olympics and the Washington State championships in swimming; she ranked 5th in the state in all-around gymnastics (which would come in handy when starring in The Next Karate Kid (1994) years later).
Swank’s parents separated when she was thirteen, and her mother, supportive of her daughter’s desire to act, moved the two of them to Los Angeles, California, where they lived out of their car until Swank’s mother saved enough money to rent an apartment. Swank has described her mother as the inspiration for her acting career and her life during this time period and subsequently.
In California, Swank enrolled in South Pasadena High School (although she later dropped out of high school) and started acting professionally. She also helped pay the rent with the money she earned appearing in television programs such as Evening Shade and Growing Pains.
courtesy of wikipedia
January 2008