Hilary Swank

She plays stubborn women, who fight tooth and nail to make their way in a world of men, whether they are detectives, karate fighters, pilots or boxers. Although Hilary Swank does not look like a star, her appearance is ideal for playing women with personality, used to taking life’s blows. Despite the fact that her filmography is not especially extensive, she already has two Oscars.

Like his characters, a hole has been opened in the world based on perseverance. And it is that Hilary Ann Swank was born in Lincoln, a small town in Nebraska, on July 30, 1974, into a humble family. When she was still a child, she was noticed by Suzy Sachs, a prestigious producer, who convinced her parents that the girl had possibilities in the world of acting. Shortly after, she got him the role of Mowgli, the protagonist of The Jungle Book , in a theatrical version, when Hilary was nine years old. In high school, she demonstrated magnificent attitudes for sports, becoming a champion swimmer.

In 1990 Hilary moved with her mother to Los Angeles, and enrolled in South Pasadena High School. Right then, she decided to dedicate herself professionally to acting. After appearing at various castings, she is offered a secondary role, as the protagonist’s classmate, in Buffy, the Vampire Slayer , a B-series production that gave rise to the series. Shortly after, she was chosen for her sports skills among hundreds of applicants to star in The New Karate Kid , fourth installment of the saga. In it, Master Miyagi decided to teach Julie, an orphan harassed by young Nazis, how to balance and polish wax.

Over the next few years, Hilary did not lack for roles, but found herself relegated to forgotten by-products, like the mediocre horror film Sometimes They Come Back… Again , the second installment in a pathetic ghost saga. She ensures that she takes any job seriously. “I read my lines in the script, but I also read between the lines. It’s about finding the qualities of that character that make him human,” she explains. During the filming of Quiet Days in Hollywood , she fell in love with her co-star, Chad Lowe , Rob’s brother. The passion was such that they went through the altar that same year. It was a lucky time, because at that time she was joining the cast of the Sensación de vivir series., which caused a sensation among adolescents. But the role that would really bring him glory would be that of Brandon Teena, a guy who turns out to be Teena Brando, a transvestite girl, in the overrated drama Boys Don’t Cry , where the best thing was precisely her extraordinary work. Based on a sordid true story, Hilary carried and moved like a real man. Not surprisingly, she caught the attention of the Hollywood Academy, which awarded her an Oscar, although she competed with Annette Bening , in her mythical role from American Beauty .

Hilary was about to succumb to that curse of the Oscars that makes the statuette not always positive for the actresses who receive it. And if not, tell Mira Sorvino , Whoopi Goldberg and Mercedes Ruehl . And it is that she did not manage to hit completely choosing roles. In Premonition she was a battered wife. In Insomnia she was a country detective helping Al Pacino solve a murder. The nucleus was the first blockbuster in which she was involved.

But the fight of her life would come when Clint Eastwood noticed her for the boxer in Million Dollar Baby . It was not easy to prepare the character, as she spent three months training an average of four and a half hours a day, suffering a million pains. “I would wake up punching my husband. Luckily Chad has a sparring spirit”, comments the actress, who gained 10 kilos of muscle with a special diet. The result was worth it, as she became Annette Bening’s nightmare by snatching the Oscar from her again.