Hilary Swank Interview (page: 4 / 8) Two Oscars for Best Actress	Print Interview

For somebody who had never seen a movie and doesn't know what acting is, how could you explain what it does for you, what draws you to this art form?

Hilary Swank: Well, I personally became an actor because...

Get the Flash Player to see this video. As a child, I felt like an outsider, and that's not just specific to me. I think everyone has felt like that at one point or another in their life, but for me, I would read books and watch movies, and in that way, I would feel understood. I felt like characters were going through something I was going through, or that would make me feel, "Oh, there's someone in the world that is understanding," and they almost became like they were my friends. And when I realized that it was something I could do with my life -- that I could become an actor and tell these stories, that I could continue to learn about myself in a deeper way, that I could entertain at the same time, and hopefully give that to another child or person and just continue to learn about the human experience -- it was really my draw to become an actor and how I describe what movies are.

[ Key to Success ] Vision

What kind of books did you like to read as a child? Do you remember any particularly that really meant something to you?

Get the Flash Player to see this video. Hilary Swank: To Kill a Mockingbird, I would say is still my favorite book and was one of the most moving books I remember reading as a child. I just loved it. Scout, this little girl who felt like she was going through so many similarities that I was going through, it was just a wonderful reminder that I wasn't alone, really, in a way. And the movies that I watched, the first few movies I watched that I really remembered being important to me were The Wizard of Oz, The Miracle Worker, and The Elephant Man. I remember at a really young age -- I think I was maybe seven when I watched The Wizard of Oz -- thinking, "Wow, there are these people who want to go and get a heart and a brain, and they go to this man behind the curtain, only to realize that that man isn't really there, and they have to find it within themselves." I feel like I grew up really quickly, and those things helped me realize things about myself, that I'd have to look within. My mom also gave me that gift. My mom was a wonderful, wonderful person in my life and still is a wonderful person in my life. My mom gave me the most important gift that I will ever have been given, which is the gift of believing in myself.

She believed in you?

Hilary Swank: Yes. She believed in me, and she continued to tell me my whole life, "You can do anything you want as long as you work hard enough. You will hit a lot of walls, and there will be a lot of obstacles, but you just keep persevering, and you will make it."

Could you tell us a little bit about your childhood? We understand you were born in Nebraska, but then moved to Washington.

Hilary Swank: Yes. My dad was in the military, and they did most of their moving before I was born. I was born in Lincoln, Nebraska, and when I was three, my dad got moved to Spokane, Washington, and we drove there. I remember that drive. We drove there and lived there for about four years, and then we moved to Bellingham, Washington. That was the extent of our moving.

But moving at that age, you still felt like an outsider in Bellingham?

Hilary Swank: I did.

Get the Flash Player to see this video. I was from a lower income family. I lived in trailer parks, and to me that didn't mean anything, because I was a kid and it has no meaning. I had a roof over my head and I had food and I had love, and it was not a big deal. But it was at that young age that I learned classism, because of my friends -- not my friends, but my friends' parents -- who wouldn't allow their kids to play with me, like I was somehow contagious and they would all become poor or something. Looking back now as well, I realize how narrow-minded (that was), and that led me to feel like an outsider, like I didn't belong. I look at kids now, and you just realize we're all the same and what a terrible thing to do to any child, but it helped make me who I am, and I don't have any bitterness or anger.

Were you a serious student? Were you interested in school?

Get the Flash Player to see this video. Hilary Swank: School was the place that I would go where -- the kids whose parents didn't want them to play with me -- it was just an extension of that. Unfortunately, it was a place where I didn't necessarily feel like I belonged. I had a couple of wonderful teachers. My fifth grade teacher was also a big influence in my career because he had us write a skit in front of the class and perform it in front of the class, and in that moment, now I realize, I found what we call our calling. At the time, I had no idea, but I knew that something came alive inside of me and that I was doing something that I loved tremendously.

[ Key to Success ] Passion

Do you remember what the skit was?

Hilary Swank: No. I don't even have it. I don't know where it is. It probably got thrown away, or lost in a move or something. I just remember writing it and enjoying that process and then getting up and feeling like I came alive when I was doing that. He was so kind. He wrote to my mom and said, "She really has a talent for this. She really enjoyed it. I think you should really support this," and I have gone back to visit him and speak to his classes. I'm really thankful for his support. I think he was a teacher that saw what was going on and really, really cared. It's amazing when there are teachers like that who really reach out and try and understand the kids in their class. It certainly made me feel like I belonged.

Was he an English teacher or a drama teacher?

Hilary Swank: It was fifth grade, so he was everything.

What was his name?

Hilary Swank: Mr. Sellereit.

How wonderful for him to have you come back to the class.

Hilary Swank: Yeah. He said, "This is great to have you come back. Thank you very much." It's people like that in my life that I'm really grateful for. We all have that handful of people that believed in us, and I feel like I wouldn't be where I am today without those people. So I'm really grateful, and I like to let them know it.

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