When you think of Hilary Swank words like ”grit,” ”talent,” and ”unstoppable” probably come to mind.
But before she graced red carpets and delivered jaw-dropping performances in award-winning films, her story was anything but glamorous.
Hilary Swank was raised in a trailer park
Born in Lincoln, Nebraska, and raised in a trailer park in Bellingham, Washington, Hilary Swank stepping into Hollywood as a young teenager armed with sheer determination and a dream.
As a young girl with a passion for acting, she was encouraged to perform in school plays and local theater productions.
“I had some teachers that I still think of fondly and were amazing to me. But I had other teachers who said, ‘You know what? This dream of yours is a hobby,’” Swank told CBS, adding that that her mom’s unwavering support is all that matters.
“My mom said to me that I could do anything I wanted in life. As long as I worked hard enough,” Swank told the outlet in 2005 after picking up her second Oscar. “And to this day, it still makes me really emotional, because I just never questioned it, you know? She just always believed in me.”
When she was 15, her parents – Judy and Stephen – split.
Using the separation as an opportunity to support her daughter, Judy made a bold decision: they would move to Los Angeles so Hilary could pursue her dream.
The pair packed up their belongings and drove to Hollywood with hope as their compass – and little else.
Arriving in Los Angeles
”She was at a crossroads. My father and her were getting separated, and she said, ‘Let’s go to California,’” says Swank. ”And so $75, and a Mobil card, we drove down to California.”
After they arrived in Los Angeles, the pair struggled, living in their car while Swank looked for auditions.
“We had a friend who was selling their house. And so, they said, ‘You know, there’s no furniture, but you can stay there at night. And then, during the day, you have to leave so we can try and sell it,’” says Swank. “So we got air mattresses. Blew the air up. Slept on the air mattresses. And left in the morning.”
But they weren’t homeless for long.
Early roles
After some time in California, Swank left South Pasadena High School to focus on her acting career. Reflecting on her decision, she admitted, “I’m not proud to say I didn’t finish high school.”
”I felt like such an outsider. I didn’t feel like I fit in. I didn’t belong in any way. I didn’t even feel like the teachers wanted me there. I just felt like I wasn’t seen or understood,” she also said.
The young actor started landing guest roles on TV shows like Growing Pains and Camp Wilder, and in 1994 she had her big break in The Next Karate Kid.
While the movie didn’t catapult her to stardom, it gave her valuable experience and put her on Hollywood’s radar.
Her next high-profile role came on the hit TV series Beverly Hills, 90210. Swank had a starring role in the show’s eighth season but her character was written out after just 16 episodes.
“Not dropped, fired,” Swank said. “And I thought if I’m not a good enough actor for 90210,’ then maybe I should [pack it in.] I don’t know. I was devastated.”
But instead of letting the setback crush her confidence, it instead fueled her fire.
Career launch
In 1999, everything changed for Swank when she landed the role of Brandon Teena in Boys Don’t Cry. The film, based on the true story of a transgender man who was tragically murdered, required Swank to deliver an emotionally raw, transformative performance.
Despite earning just $3,000 for the role, Swank won the Academy Award for Best Actress, proving that a breakout performance doesn’t depend on a big paycheck.
“So, I had an Academy Award, and I didn’t have health insurance,” Swank quipped. “The life of an actor.”
She followed up her award-winning performance with roles in critically acclaimed films like Million Dollar Baby (2004), which earned her a second Oscar: “I don’t know what I did in this life to deserve this. I’m just a girl from a trailer park who had a dream,” she said in her acceptance speech.
But what set Swank apart wasn’t just her talent – it was her willingness to take risks, embrace challenging roles, and push her boundaries.
Speaking with CBS about Swank convincingly playing a professional boxer, Clint Eastwood, who starred and directed Million Dollar Baby, told CBS: “I just thought, ‘Yeah, this gal would be great. If we can get her trained up. If we can get a little bit more bulk on her, to make her look like a fighter,” he said. “She was like a feather. But what happened is, she had this great work ethic.”
What fills her heart
In 2014, she took a break from her hugely successful career to be a caregiver for her father, Stephen Michael Swank, an Air Force and Air National Guard veteran, who needed a risky lung transplant.
The one-year sabbatical turned into three as her father’s recovery from the invasive surgery was slow.
Still also caring for her dad, who lived with her until he died in 2021, the Alaska Daily star returned to filming.
All throughout, Swank – the founder of Hilaroo Foundation – generously shares her time and celebrity in bringing awareness to various causes, like advocating for cancer research, and for the wellbeing of animals.
In an interview with Health, she said, “One of the things that filled my heart was animals because none of them looked at me for anything other than for who I am. It quickly became apparent that they were going to be by my side and a part of my journey forever. They touch my heart in a way that a lot of humans can’t.”
New family
Finding love with a human was a challenge for the Freedom Writers actor, who’s instinct is to care for others before herself – a trait she inherited from her mom.
She wed Chad Lowe in 1997 but the younger brother to celebrity Rob Lowe, struggled with substance abuse and the pair divorced in 2006.
Speaking with USA Today, Swank said that having her ailing father living at her home helped her find a good man.
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“It’s almost a great way to weed out people. ‘Wait, you live with your dad?’ The reaction to that helps you move through things faster,” said Swank, who met her now husband Phillip Schneider in the time she was caring for her dad.
On April 10, 2023 her and Schneider announced the birth of their twins, a daughter and son named Ohm and Aya, who popped out before their due date of April 16, her father’s birthday.
In an interview with Extra TV, Swank said, “I was having a career and not having the right relationship until…all the elements needed to come together and be right.”
What’s next?
While Swank is busy chasing around twin toddlers, she says she’d love to work again with Eastwood, whom she considers a mentor.
“I adore Clint Eastwood for all the reasons everyone else does. We actually have been talking about trying to find something,” she told the Independent. “It’s a matter of aligning our schedules, but I would do anything if he asked. I wouldn’t even need to read it, I would just say, ‘yes!’”