by
Paul Fischer
If one was to look at the early bio of Hilary
Swank, one could hardly foresee an Oscar in 
her
future. A professional actress since the age of sixteen, when she moved to Los
Angeles from her native Bellingham in Washington, Swank first appeared onscreen
in 1992's Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Two years later, she earned a rudimentary
degree of fame when she was picked to star in The Next Karate Kid, but
this recognition proved fleeting: Swank subsequently appeared in a number of minor
films and did a year-long stint on Beverly Hills 90210. In 1999, however,
she won both acclaim and recognition for her lead role in Kimberly Peirce's independent
drama Boys Don't Cry. Based on the real-life story of Brandon Teena, a
woman whose decision to lead her life as a man met with dire consequences, Boys
Don't Cry was one of the year's most lauded films, with particular praise
going to Swank for her stunning performance. She went on to win a number of honours
for her work in the film, including a Golden Globe and Academy Award for Best
Actress. Hilary was on her way. Recently she stood her own opposite Cate Blanchett
in The Gift, and her latest film - shot prior to the release of Boys
Don't Cry - is the lavish costume epic The Affair of the Necklace.
Set in late 18th century France, the film is based on the true story of aristocrat
Jeanne de la Motte-Valois, who leaves her adoptive home to seek out her royal
heritage. During her quest, she finds out that her family was torn apart by the
fickle royal politics preceding the French Revolution. To avenge her family, she
fixates upon stealing a spectacular diamond necklace, and unwittingly contributes
towards the death of the French monarchy. Swank last spoke with us about Boys
Don't Cry. This time out, our Paul Fischer speaks with her about corsets,
fame and life after the Oscars.
CrankyCritic: It's quite a long jump from The Next Karate Kid
and Beverly Hills 90210 to Oscar and costume dramas. Are you absolutely
surprised at how your career has developed over the last few years?
Hilary Swank: I'm not one to ever expect anything in my life, but I certainly
was hoping I would get the opportunity to test my chops and challenge myself.
I was just lucky with that opportunity when Boys Don't Cry came along,
because they didn't want someone that was famous. I was at the right place at
the right time and I'm very thankful for that and thankful for all the opportunities
that have arisen since then certainly after winning the Oscar. I never really
thought about it as, you know, when it's going to be my turn, you know.
I was definitely really hoping for something that would challenge me but I never
expected to quite happen this quickly, I guess. Rather, I didn't expect it to
happen with Boys Don't Cry.
CrankyCritic:
The last time we spoke was at the release of Boys Don't Cry and it was
all the pre-Oscar stuff. Did the Oscar kind of legitimize something in your profession
for you? What's the genuine impact of an award like that?
Hilary Swank: Well, at first, honestly, you feel this enormous pressure
to be larger than life and to not make mistakes. That was really interesting,
because I didn't think it would be like that. Every time I watched the Oscars,
I was always like: 'Oh that person's life changed and those problems are gone
forever and all those things that you think of. [When it's you] you realize
you're still the same person, you still have your problems, you still make the
mistakes. I was thinking, 'Oh God, there's no place to go but down' and 'I'm being
watched under a microscope' and all of those things. Once I got past that and
got back to that very, very pure innocent place of why I even started acting,
I was much better off.
CrankyCritic: Had you heard of the Affair of the Necklace tale
before?
Hilary Swank: No, I hadn't. I'm not a big history buff, not even of American
history, let alone other countries' history. I guess that's why I found it quite
amazing. They say life is stranger than fiction, I just didn't believe it was
one of the reasons for the fall of the French Revolution. It was kind of the straw
that broke the camel's back. I didn't know of it.
CrankyCritic: Now I'm a student of history and I never even heard of
this woman. Why has she remained so hidden?
Hilary Swank: Well, I know a lot of French people and they all knew about
it because it's such an important part of their history. I'm not exactly sure
why certain things stay hidden and certain things don't, but I think probably
because it was so scandalous.
CrankyCritic: Hilary, when you saw what the role was, were you terrified?
It was a huge role, a big budget movie, what was your reaction when you first
got the job?
Hilary
Swank: Actually, you know what's interesting about that, is that the budget's
not that big. It's bigger than Boys Don't Cry, which had a budget of under
$2,000,000, but this movie was under $25,000,000. If you think of period pieces
in the whole scheme of things, you can't even breathe air into a period piece
for $25,000,000. So I think that's quite remarkable on the budget, what the cinematographer
did, and what [director] Charles Shyer did, and the costume designer with those
costumes? Those alone should have been $15,000,000.
CrankyCritic: Were you apprehensive or worried about it?
Hilary Swank: No, I'm not one who tends to worry, I'm not one who tends
to be apprehensive. You know I was actually offered this movie before I received
a Golden Globe and that really spoke highly of Charles Shyer and the producer's
belief in me. I was offered this before I was even offered The Gift,
but they were just in their beginning stages.
CrankyCritic: You'd never done a period film before. What do you think
they saw in you that made them want to go for you for this role?
Hilary Swank: I think, first of all, I read it and then I met with Charles
before even being nominated for a Golden Globe. He went and saw Boys Don't
Cry and I guess you will have to ask him, because I don't know what
he saw in Boys Don't Cry that made him think I could play this beautiful
woman with breasts and hair. I just saw the love story within it and the scene
where she's in the cell and she says, "I love you, that should have been
enough." And she realizes that? That's a very human quality that we all have.
When we sometimes realize some things too late unfortunately, and sometimes we
catch it right before it's too late, and I think back to that's what we really
need to be doing in this story and I think that this is his feeling about it,
and he just said, "This is going to work."
CrankyCritic: This was your first 'corset' role. How was it for you
wearing those costumes and would you do it again?
Hilary Swank: You know, binding your breasts for a role and wearing a corset
is not the most comfortable thing. I would never just take a role because of how
a person looks in a movie. If a period piece came to me, and it was a beautiful
story, absolutely.
CrankyCritic:
Is it too much of a distraction wearing those costumes and acting in them?
Hilary Swank: It's funny that you use that word, because it's absolutely
impossible to play that role without being in those costumes. That's part of it.
You get in those costumes and you get in that hair and makeup and half of your
work's done.
CrankyCritic: What was it like working with Simon Baker, who has since
achieved success here with TV's The Guardian?
Hilary Swank: It was interesting because he already came in and he gave
this amazing audition and Charles wanted someone to read with me so he could see
what our chemistry was and he did a screen test and Simon was just right on-there
was such a quality about him that he brought to that part, this sadness in his
eyes, that was just right. You know, that's another thing I love about Charles,
is that he believed that he didn't have to have the 'hot' guy or 'hot' girl in
the movie together; he saw Simon in the role and he was great.
CrankyCritic: Can you talk about the detective you play in Christopher
Nolan's Insomnia, with Al Pacino and Robin Williams?
Hilary Swank: I finished that in July, it's a murder mystery, kind of thriller
with Al Pacino and Robin Williams. Christopher Nolan you might remember from Memento
and, believe me, he is not going to let you down with this movie either.
CrankyCritic: So how do you feel about this movie? Does it have the usual
Nolan twist?
Hilary Swank: You know what? It's not as tricky as Memento. This
movie is like when someone comes in and mixes the Rubik's cube up and it still
works, you know in that he comes in and just has a different way of going about
making a movie and - and he doesn't like it linear. He likes it nonlinear and
he just you know he just messes it up a little bit and with this movie the audience
is in on it and the producer is not in on it as what's going on. You know as the
budding detective that I am, you see the evolution of her growth as a detective
and I always try and find a sentence that describes what the movie is to me before
I start it and my sentence in Insomnia was that 'nothing is as it seems - heroes
are flawed.'
CrankyCritic: Now that you've been validated by your peers, what scares
you now?
Hilary
Swank: Well recently, flying.
CrankyCritic: Really?
Hilary Swank: Let me just say this. I live in New York and I saw it all
happen from my window. Being that close to it, I got on a plane a week after 9-11
and I have flown at least eight times since and I was fine, then the American
Airlines plane went down in Far Rockaway in New York right by us and you see the
smoke and everything and you're just so close to it and I just thought: Hey you
know I have always known I'm not going to die in a plane. I've just always
known that, but then do you know what hit me? I had the sensibility not to get
on the plane that's gonna crash. So that all of a sudden hit me, but I don't know.
You know what? I am not scared of things very often.
CrankyCritic: Well I was just thinking about starring in a movie with
Pacino. I mean that would scare me, and working with Robin Williams.
Hilary Swank: I don't use the word scary, but it most certainly it is.
I mean you work with these people who are so well respected and have proven themselves
and you know you - that whole thing my God am I going to live up to their expectations
and am I going to be able to step up to the plate? Then you just have to just
feel that and get over it and not dwell on that or you're not going to be able
to work. I just sort of had to observe Pacino and work off of him. I mean he is
just so giving and if you're not present for that and you're too afraid that you're
not going to absorb any of it.
November 2001