What the Hell Happened to Hilary Swank?

Hilary Swank came from humble beginnings.  As a teenager, she and her single mother were homeless.  By the age of 30, she had won two Academy Awards for Best Actress.  But after winning her second Oscar, Swank’s career stalled out.  Today, the two-time Oscar-winner is stuck in direct-to-video horror movies and ensemble romantic comedies named after minor holidays.

What the hell happened?

Hilary Swank's eighth grade yearbook photo
Hilary Swank’s eighth grade yearbook photo

When Swank was fifteen years old, her parents separated.  She and her mother moved from  Bellingham, Washington to LA to support Swank’s dreams of being an actress.  At first, they didn’t have enough money to rent an apartment.  So they lived out of their car while Swank’s mother saved up.  Swank attended South Pasadena High School but ended up dropping out.  According to Swank, she didn’t feel like she belonged there:

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.

Swank described trying to get a foot in the door in Hollywood:

I remember watching my mom. She had a roll of quarters, and she would just call agents, “My daughter is really great. She’s really talented. You should meet her.” They’d say, “Great. Well, send a résumé in and a picture.” I, of course, didn’t have either of those.

Hilary Swank - Harry and the Hendersons - 1991
Hilary Swank – Harry and the Hendersons – 1991

In 1991, Swank began landing some guest spots on TV shows.  First, she appeared in an episode of the sitcom Harry and the Hendersons.  The show was based on the movie of the same name in which a family adopts a bigfoot named Harry.

swank - growing pains
Hilary Swank – Growing Pains – 1991-1992

Swank also made appearances in two episodes each of Evening Shade and Growing Pains (pictured above).  On Growing Pains, she worked alongside Leonadro DiCaprio.  All that talent and Kirk Cameron too.  Swank recalled her first big break in TV:

I got a couple of lines on a sitcom, Growing Pains. I think the first time I was onGrowing Pains, I pulled a bunny out of a hat and said, “Ta-dah,” and that got me my SAG card. Then I was on Evening Shade, and they just kept bringing me back.

Hilary Swank - Buffy the Vampire Slayer - 1992
Hilary Swank – Buffy the Vampire Slayer – 1992

Swank’s first film role was in the 1992 version of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

The movie starred Kristy Swanson as a cheerleader turned slayer of vampires and featured Beverly Hills 90210 heart-throb, Luke Perry, in a supporting role.  Donald Sutherland played Swanson’s mentor.  Rutger Hauer and Paul Reubens played vampires.  Swank played one of the student’s at Buffy’s California high school

Expectations for the Buffy movie were high.  The movie was released at the height of Perry’s popularity.  His screaming fans were always camped out on the set.  The movie had a lot of good buzz based on Joss Whedon’s clever script.  But the script was heavily altered to lighten the tone of the movie.  Sutherland insisted on changing just about all of his dialogue.  Whedon was so frustrated, he walked off the set one day and never returned.  Eventually, he took the material to TV where he could give it his own spin.

Today, Swank is known for her dramatic roles.  But she points out that she wasn’t originally taken so seriously:

My first movie was Buffy the Vampire Slayer. In fact, I started my career in comedy. I was always auditioning for dramatic roles as well, but I was constantly told that I was too funny, I was too “half-hour,” I wasn’t dramatic enough, which I think is really interesting.

Critics complained that despite clever moments, the movie missed the mark.  Perry’s fan-base didn’t turn out to see him at the cineplexes.  Buffy opened in fifth place at the box office behind A League of Their Own which had been in theaters for five weeks.

Hilary Swank - Camp Wilder - 1992-1993
Hilary Swank – Camp Wilder – 1992-1993

From 1992-1993, Swank had a recurring role on the short-lived TGIF sitcom, Camp Wilder.

Mary Page Keller starred as an older sibling who takes care of her younger brother (Jerry O’Connell) and sister (Meghann Halderman) after the death of their parents while also raising her own daughter.  Her loose parenting style makes their house a hangout for her siblings’ teenage friends played by Swank and Jay Mohr.  Jared Leto was a popular guest star as well.

Camp Wilder was cancelled after one season due to low ratings.  Although 20 episodes were made, only 19 were aired in the US.  The show was actually a hit in Germany.

Hilary Swank - Cries Unheard: The Donna Yaklich Story - 1994
Hilary Swank – Cries Unheard: The Donna Yaklich Story – 1994

In 1994, Swank appeared in the TV movie, Cries Unheard: The Donna Yaklich Story also known as Victim of Rage.  Jaclyn Smith starred as Swank’s mother who is married to an abusive steroid-user.  Critics were unkind to the movie of the week.  Variety summed up the movie’s problems:

Viewer impatience with Smith’s mind-numbingly foolish homemaker is almost as great as the repulsion for Johnson’s hulking, gun-happy husband. In short, without a sympathetic, let alone empathetic wife figure, director Armand Mastroianni can’t overcome a grueling, almost counterproductive picture.

swank - karate kid
Hilary Swank – The Next Karate Kid – 1994

In 1994, Swank landed her first starring role opposite Pat Morita in The Next Karate Kid.

The first Karate Kid had been a surprise hit in 1984.  Columbia went on to make two sequels.  All three of the original films were directed by Rocky director, John G. Avildsen.  After The Karate Kid III disappointed in 1989, Columbia was looking for a way to breathe new life into the series.  Their solution was to give Mr. Miyagi a new student.  A younger student who they could pay less than Ralph Macchio.  And in hopes of attracting a new audience, they decided to cast a girl this time.

Avildsen was slated to direct the fourth movie, but ultimately dropped out to direct Luke Perry in the bull-riding drama, 8 Seconds.

Swank (who was a trained dancer) was able to learn the “flashy” karate moves, but struggled with the basics.  The fight choreographers awarded her a pink belt, a combination of an advanced red belt and a basic white.  Although the movie isn’t fondly remembered today, Swank was very appreciative of the opportunity at the time:

The Next Karate Kid was obviously a very big break for me and a wonderful opportunity. I was a huge fan of The Karate Kid, the first one. I was a kid when I saw that and thought, “How wonderful to be a part of this!”

Reviews were negative although Swank was singled out as a star-in-the-making.  The movie was the least successful of the franchise at the box office.  As a result, it was the last Karate Kid movie until the series was rebooted 16 years later.

swank - terror in the family
Hilary Swank – Terror in the Family – 1996

In the mid-nineties, Swank continued paying her dues in TV movies like Terror in the Family in which she played a troubled teen who slaps her mom, Growing Pains‘ Joanna Kearns,

You just got bitch-slapped by a pink belt, Mrs. Seaver!  That will teach you to mess with the next karate kid.

swank - sometimes
Hilary Swank – Sometimes They Come Back Again – 1996

In 1996, Swank appeared in the direct-to-video horror sequel, Sometimes They Come Back Again.  Family Ties dad, Michael Gross, starred as a man who returns to his home town to attend his mother’s funeral.  While he is in town, he discovers that a force of evil is rising and it threatens to take control of his daughter played by Swank.

Sadly, Swank did not bitch-slap Gross.  She could have had an entire career in which she abused sit-com parents.  Look out, Meredith Baxter!

Hilary Swank - Kounterfeit - 1996
Hilary Swank – Kounterfeit – 1996

In the direct-to-video crime thriller, Kounterfeit, Swank played a stripper who is out for revenge when her brother, an FBI agent played by Saved By the Bell star, Mark-Paul Gosselaar, is killed while investigating a money-making scheme.

Hilary Swank - Dying to Belong - 1997
Hilary Swank – Dying to Belong – 1997

In 1997, Swank started popping up all over the place mostly in direct-to-video movies and TV shows no one watched.  But at least she was getting work.  First up was the TV movie, Dying to Belong.  Swank starred as a college freshman who pledges the wrong fraternity.  Sarah Chalke co-starred as a sorority sister who takes Hell Week hazing too far.  And Mark-Paul Gosselaar played Swank’s supportive boyfriend.

Hilary Swank - Leaving L.A. - 1997
Hilary Swank – Leaving L.A. – 1997

Swank started was a regular on ABC’s dramedy, Leaving L.A.  The show was a was set in a Los Angeles County Coroner’s office.  It starred Christopher Meloni, Melina Kanakaredes and Ron Rifkin.  Leaving L.A. was cancelled after just six episodes.

Hilary Swank - The Sleepwalker Killing - 1997
Hilary Swank – The Sleepwalker Killing – 1997

Then Swank was back in TV movie territory for The Sleepwalker Killing also known as Crimes of Passion: Sleepwalker.  The movie is based on a real-life murder case as covered by the TV show Unsolved Mysteries.  Swank played a woman whose husband is accused of murdering her mother and injuring her father.  She is caught between her loyalties to her family and to her husband whom she believes is incapable of committing such a crime.  The husband has turned himself in to the police, but claims not to remember his actions.

Hilary Swank - Quiet Days in Hollywood - 1997
Hilary Swank – Quiet Days in Hollywood – 1997

Swank returned to the big screen for the drama, Quiet Days in Hollywood.  The movie is a series of vignettes set in Hollywood.  Each of the characters featured is linked by a sexual encounter.  Swank played a seventeen-year-old streetwalker named Lolita.

Hilary Swank - Wedding to Chad Lowe - 1997
Hilary Swank – Wedding to Chad Lowe – 1997

While filming Quiet Days in Hollywood, Swank began seeing co-star Chad Lowe.  The couple were married in September of 1997 and divorced 10 years after that.  Actor Martin Sheen attended the wedding and showered the bride with bubbles.

swank - 90210
Hilary Swank – Beverly Hills 90210 – 1997-1998

In 1997, Swank joined the cast of the hit TV show, Beverly Hills 90210.  She was cast as a single mother and was promised a two-year stint on the long-running show.  But Swank was written off the show after only 16 episodes.  According to Swank:

I got on 90210, and I was very grateful for the opportunity to continue to learn, even though it was something that was kind of old news. I signed a two-year contract, which is a very big deal…  And about maybe 14 episodes into the first year, I was fired. I remember going in and them saying, “This isn’t really working. It’s not working.” I was devastated.

Swank took the firing hard.  And with good reason.  This was a show that had yet to fire Ian Ziering.  If Ziering was good enough to stay on the show for 8 years and counting, what did it say about Swank that she was fired after 16 weeks?  Swank later admitted that her confidence was shaken.   “If I’m not good enough for 90210, I’m not good enough for anything.”

You really can’t fault her reasoning.  But it turns out you can’t keep a karate kid down… unless he’s Ralph Macchio in which case puberty proved to be the knock-out blow.

Shortly after being fired from 90210, Swank landed a career-changing role.  Here she is on Conan discussing her sudden change of fate:

Hilary Swank - Heartwood - 1998
Hilary Swank – Heartwood – 1998

In 1998, just after being fired from 90210, Swank appeared in the environmental drama, Heartwood.  Jason Robards starred as a sawmill owner who has fallen on hard times.  Eddie Mills played his young protege who falls for the sawmill’s manager’s daughter played by Swank.  Together, they devise a plan to save Robards’ mill without having to cut down all the trees in their town.

swank - boys dont cry
Hilary Swank – Boys Don’t Cry – 1999

In 1999, Swank starred in the indie drama, Boys Don’t Cry opposite Chloë Sevigny.

Boys Don’t Cry was based on the true story of a trans man who was raped and murdered when his secret was discovered.  Writer/director Kimberly Peirce spent five years developing Boys Don’t Cry after being moved by Brandon Teena’s true story.  It was important to Peirce that her movie focus not just on the murder, but the love story between Teena and his girlfriend.

Peirce wanted to cast an unknown in the role because she didn’t think audiences would accept a star posing as a man.  Roughly a hundred actresses auditioned for the role before Swank sent in an audition tape.  In order to land the role, Swank lied about her age claiming to be the same age Teena.  When Peirce later confronted Swank about the lie, Swank claimed it was “what Brandon would have done”.

Swank dressed up in a cowboy hat and her husband’s clothes to make her audition tape.  The tape was good enough to get her an audition, but she still had one more obstacle to overcome; airfare:

I remember auditioning. The tape went to Kimberly Peirce in New York, and they said, “She’d like to meet you, but you have to fly yourself here,” and I didn’t have a lot of money. My manager said, “No. They should fly you,” and my agent said, “Get your ass on that plane.” So I bought my ticket.

To prepare for the role, Swank lived as a man for a month.  Swank’s neighbors mistook her for her brother.  She also got her body fat down to seven percent to accentuate her facial structure.  For her effort, Swank was paid a mere $75 per day.  Her total compensation was $3,000.00 which did not qualify her to receive health insurance.

Boys Don’t Cry opened to nearly universal praise.  It was a hit in the indie movie circuit and was nominated for several awards.  Swank cleaned up.  She won numerous critics’ awards, a Golden Globe and her first Oscar for Best Actress.

Hilary Swank - Best Actress for Boys Don't Cry
Hilary Swank – Best Actress for Boys Don’t Cry

Swank expected her Oscar win to open up lots of opportunities.  But the offers didn’t come flooding in quite as much as she expected:

After I won my first Academy Award, I thought, “Wow, everything’s going to change. I’m going to get so many offers, I’m not even going to have time to read everything, and I’m going to get all of these opportunities to work with people who inspire me and finally get real quality material.” Yes, that was partly the case, but what I realized was my first role was a role where people saw me as looking like a boy. So that was their first impression of me.

swank - the gift
Hilary Swank – The Gift – 2000

In 2000, Swank appeared in a supporting role in Sam Raimi’s supernatural thriller, The Gift.

Cate Blanchett starred as a psychic investigating the murder or a promiscuous girl played by Katie Holmes.  Swank played one of Blanchett’s clients whose husband (Keanu Reeves) had an affair with the dead girl and is the prime suspect in the murder investigation.  Heinous, dude.

Reviews were mixed and The Gift disappointed at the box office.  It opened in limited release before going wide in 2001. “Wide” is a relative term in this case.  The Gift played in just over 800 theaters which is kind of a “semi-wide” release. With the additional screens, The Gift peaked out in 13th place at the box office.  It only grossed $12 million dollars in the US, but it did better overseas.

Swank - Affair of the Necklace
Hilary Swank – The Affair of the Necklace – 2001

In 2001, Swank starred opposite Jonathan Pryce and Adrien Brody in the historical drama, The Affair of the Necklace.

The Affair of the Necklace was based on a true story of an incident which lead to the French Revolution.  Swank played Jeanne de Saint-Rémy de Valois, an orphan with an elaborate scheme to reclaim her royal birthright.

Reviews were negative with many critics noting that Swank did not seem comfortable with the refined dialogue and period setting.  Roger Ebert wrote that both the actress and the film’s director misunderstood the movie’s protagonist:

Hilary Swank, I fear, believes we should feel sorry for Jeanne. So does Charles Shyer, who directed this movie and sends Swank on the wrong assignment. The Affair of the Necklace only works if it understands Jeanne is one villain among many, not a misguided heroine.

Audiences missed the movie entirely.  It played in only 40 theaters where it grossed under half a million dollars.

swank - insomnia
Hilary Swank – Insomnia – 2002

In 2002, Swank appeared opposite Academy Award winners Al Pacino and Robin Williams in Christopher Nolan’s thriller, Insomnia.

Williams played an author turned serial killer and Pacino played the unstable cop investigating the case.  However, Pacino’s character is under investigation by Internal Affairs.  Pacino’s partner informs him that he has been offered immunity to testify against him.  Swank played a young police officer who investigates Pacino after his partner is shot.

The movie was a remake of a Norwegian movie of the same name.  Erik Skjoldbjærg, the director of the original film, was happy with Nolan’s take on his movie:

When I first saw it was a very strange experience because it was quite close, stylistically, to the original. I felt lucky that it’s such a well crafted, smart film and that it had a really good director handling it, because as a remake I think it did really well and it doesn’t hurt any original if a remake is well done. So I felt I was lucky that Christopher Nolan took it upon himself to do it.

Despite positive reviews and an all-star cast, Insomnia was not a big hit at the box office.  It opened in third place behind Spider-man which had been in theaters for four weeks by that point.  Insomnia ended up grossing nearly $70 million dollars in the U.S. which was more than its production costs.  With international grosses, it managed to cross the $100 million dollar threshold.

swank - the core
Hilary Swank – The Core – 2003

In 2002, Swank starred opposite Aaron Eckhart in the sci-fi disaster film, The Core.

Eckhart played the leader of a group of scientists who have to save the planet when the earth’s core stops spinning.  Bruce Greenwood and Swank played space shuttle pilots who pilot the team’s ship on a voyage to the center of the earth.

The Core was Armageddon on a budget.  Instead of a team of miners being shot into space to drill asteroids, The Core was about a team of scientists drilling into the center of the earth to prevent microwaves from “cooking” the planet.  Or something.  The science in The Core was so laughably inaccurate that it was singled out by hundreds of scientists as the worst movie ever in terms of scientific accuracy.  Yes, worse than Armageddon.

The Core received mixed reviews.  Many critics who liked it claimed it was intentionally bad to the point of being campy fun.  Roger Ebert came very close to giving the movie a thumbs-up, but managed to talk himself out of it:

I have such an unreasonable affection for this movie, indeed, that it is only by slapping myself alongside the head and drinking black coffee that I can restrain myself from recommending it.

To the delight of scientists everywhere, The Core flopped at the box office.  It opened in third place at the box office behind Bringing Down the House which had been in theaters for four weeks.  The Core ended up grossing about one half of its sixty-million dollar production costs.

swank - 1114
Hilary Swank – 11:14 – 2003

Later that year, Swank appeared as part of an ensemble in the indie thriller, 11:14.

The movie tells several stories which all come together at the same time.  The narrative works its way backwards in time slowly revealing the events that lead up to a car crash.  Swank played a convenience store clerk who helps her co-worker steal from the register. The cast included Rachael Leigh Cook, Henry Thomas, Barbara Hershey and Patrick Swayze.

Swank’s character was originally written as a male role.  But after Swank read the script, she said it was the part that “spoke to” her.  So she asked writer/director Greg Marcks to rewrite the part with a gender swap.  Despite mostly positive reviews, 11:14 never received a theatrical release.

Swank - Iron Jawed Angels
Hilary Swank – Iron Jawed Angels – 2004

In 2004, Swank starred opposite Frances O’Connor, Julia Ormond and Angelica Huston in the HBO movie, Iron Jawed Angels.

The movie focused on the women’s suffrage movement.  Swank played Alice Paul, a crusader who was sentenced to the Occoquan Workhouse for participating in protests for women’s right to vote.  The movie was well-received and garnered 5 Emmy nominations.  While not nominated for an Emmy, Swank was nominated for a Golden Globe.

Since winning her first Oscar, Swank’s career was already cooling.  She had yet to star in a box office hit.  But she was about to get another major career boost.

swank - million dollar baby
Hilary Swank – Million Dollar Baby – 2004

Later that year, Swank starred opposite Clint Eastwood and Morgan Freeman in Eastwood’s boxing movie, Million Dollar Baby.

Swank played a female boxer who rises in the ranks with the help of a gruff trainer played by Eastwood.  Eastwood’s character is reluctant to train a girl which makes for some great comedic moments in the first half of the film.  But towards the end, the movie takes a dark and unexpected turn.

Paul Haggis, who also wrote and directed the Oscar-winning drama, Crash, wrote the screenplay for Million Dollar Baby as well.  Originally, he had intended to direct the boxing movie himself.  Freeman was approached to play the gruff trainer, but preferred the supporting role instead.  Eastwood was cast as the male lead and asked if he might take over as director of the picture.   Haggis was already working on Crash and agreed to let Eastwood take over on Million Dollar Baby.

At one point, Sandra Bullock was attached to the lead role.  But her commitment to Miss Congeniality 2 prevented her from starring in Million Dollar Baby.  When Eastwood met with Swank, he hired her on the spot.  Swank was on the skinny side at the time of their meeting, so he told her she better get to the gym to prepare.  He knew about her athletic background and was confident she could bulk up for the role.

Swank underwent a vigorous work out to prepare for Million Dollar Baby.  She set out to gain around ten pounds but ended up putting on 20 pounds of muscle.  She also developed a very serious infection from a blister on her foot.  Swank had to spend a week in the hospital to recover, but didn’t tell Eastwood or anyone associated with the production.  She didn’t feel like it would be “in character” to report the injury.

Hilary Swank - Best Actress Oscar - Million Dollar Baby
Hilary Swank – Best Actress Oscar – Million Dollar Baby

Million Dollar Baby received good reviews and was a hit at the box office.  Certain groups took issue with some controversial content in the film’s final act.  But that didn’t prevent the movie from cleaning up during awards season.  Five years after Boys Don’t Cry, Swank repeated her Oscar and Golden Globe wins.

Hilary Swank - Red Dust - 2004
Hilary Swank – Red Dust – 2004

Swank also starred opposite Chiwetel Ejiofor in the drama, Red Dust.  Swank played a human rights attorney who gre up in South Africa.  She returns to her homeland to help a South African politician played by Ejiofor.  He underwent torture during apartheid, but his memory of the details is blocked.

Red Dust played the film festival circuit where it received unenthusiastic reviews from critics.  It eventually made its way to video without ever receiving a theatrical release.

swank - black dahlia
Hilary Swank – The Black Dahlia – 2006

In 2006, Swank appeared in a supporting role in Brian De Palma’s true crime drama, The Black Dahlia.

Swank’s The Core co-star, Aaron Eckhart and Josh Hartnett played LA cops in the late 40’s investigating the brutal murder of an actress dubbed “The Black Dahlia” by the press.  Swank played a friend of the victim who has an affair with Hartnett in order to keep from being associated with the murder.  Scarlett Johansson also appeared as Eckhart’s girlfriend.

The Black Dahlia was based on a grisly Hollywood murder in the 1940’s.  The murder inspired a novel by LA Confidential writer James Ellroy.  Director David Fincher began developing Elroy’s novel into what he hoped would be a five-hour epic mini-series filled with Hollywood stars.  When Fincher dropped out of the project, De Palma stepped in and developed the project as a two-hour movie.

De Palma offered Swank’s role to Eva Green.   But Green turned the part down because she was worried about being type cast as a femme fatale.  Swank had no such worries as no one had ever considered her to be the femme fatale type.

The movie received negative reviews and disappointed at the box office.  It opened in second place at the box office behind The Gridiron Gang which also opened that week.  It went on to gross about half of its $50 million dollar budget in the US.  even with the international box office, The Black Dahlia came up short.

swank - freesom writers
Hilary Swank – Freedom Writers – 2007

In 2007, Swank starred in the education drama, Dangerous Minds 2: Where’s Coolio?… er, I mean Freedom Writers.

Swank played a teacher at an under-privileged school who makes a difference in the kids’ lives.  All without the benefit of Gangsta’s Paradise.

Reviews were mixed to positive.  Peter Travers wrote, “Corny? You bet. And worse when the plot veers into the glitz of a Dangerous Minds and the sappiness of a TV After School Special. But the movie, which Swank helped produce by using her clout as a two-time Oscar winner, gets to you.”

Audiences weren’t in the mood for another “white woman teaching inner-city kids” movie.  Freedom Writers opened in fourth place at the box office behind Children of Men which had been in limited release for three weeks and went into wide release that weekend.  Freedom Writers grossed about $35 million dollars on a $20 million dollar budget which qualifies it as a box office disappointment.

swank - the reaping
Hilary Swank – The Reaping – 2007

Later that year, Swank starred in the apocalyptic horror movie, The Reaping.

Swank played a former minister who goes from town to town investigating and disproving miracles.  She is called to a town where the river has turned red.  Signs of the apocalypse mount up including plagues of frogs and locusts and a child who may or may not be the devil.

The Reaping was originally scheduled to be released in the summer of 2006.  But its release date was pushed back several times.  That’s a sure sign a movie is no good.  So it was no surprise that it opened to terrible reviews.  Best zinger goes to Michael Phelps who wrote “The Reaping proves that you reap what you sow, and what these particular screenwriters have sown is just another word for manure.”

The Reaping opened in fifth place at the box office behind the week’s other new entries, Are We Done Yet? and Grindhouse.  It ended up grossing $25 million in the US on a budget of $40 million.  Fortunately, The Reaping fared better overseas, but it still qualified as a flop.

swank - ps i love you
Hilary Swank – P.S. I Love You – 2007

Swank ended the year with the romantic comedy, P.S. I Love You.

She played a young widow whose late husband arranged to have several messages sent to her after his death.  Who does that?  Apparently, Gerard Butler.  Which is appropriate I guess given Butler’s confirmed status as box office poison any time he doesn’t play a Spartan.  Somehow, Butler was allowed to make a few dozen romantic comedies co-starring every actress in Hollywood.  All of them received terrible reviews and flopped at the box office.

Butler didn’t just hurt Swank’s prospects at the box office.  He actually sent her to the hospital!  During a strip tease, Butler hit Swank on the forehead with his suspenders.  The actress was sent to the hospital and received several stitches.

P.S. I Love You was criticized for its schmaltzy premise which screams “Lifetime movie of the week” and for Butler’s awful attempt at an Irish accent.  It opened at #6 at the box office behind the other new releases, Charlie Wilson’s War and Sweeney Todd (which was playing in about half as many theaters as PS I Love You.)  It held on reasonably well and ended up grossing just over $50 million dollars in the U.S.  It grossed about twice that amount overseas where it proved to be a modest hit.

Hilary Swank - Birds of America - 2008
Hilary Swank – Birds of America – 2008

In 2008, Swank had a supporting role in the indie comedy Birds of America.  Matthew Perry starred as an uptight middle-class guy who might be described as “Chandler-esque”.  Lauren Graham co-starred as Perry’s wife.  Ben Foster and Ginnifer Goodwin played his troublesome younger siblings who are looking for a place to stay.  Swank played one of the neighbors.

Birds of America debuted at the Sundance Film Festival where it was met with indifference.  Critics compared it to an episode of a TV show.  It was never released theatrically.

swank - amelia
Hilary Swank – Amelia – 2009

In 2009, Swank starred opposite Richard Gere in the Amelia Earhart biopic, Amelia.

Swank played Earheart, the legendary pilot who attempted to fly around the world in 1937.  *spoilers* It doesn’t end well.  Gere played publishing tycoon George Putnam who recruited Earheart for the doomed flight and eventually became her husband.  Ewan McGregor and Christopher Eccleston co-starred

Swank was an executive producer on Amelia which was clearly intended as Oscar bait.  Unfortunately, the execution fell short.  Reviews were negative with critics complaining that Amelia was a by-the-numbers biopic.  It failed to crack the top ten at the box office.  Ultimately, Amelia was lost at sea with a worldwide gross less than half of its budget.

swank - conviction
Hilary Swank – Conviction – 2010

In 2010, Swank starred in the legal drama, Conviction.

The movie is based on the true story of a single mother who worked to free her wrongly convicted brother played by Sam Rockwell.  Reviews were generally positive.  Critics were in agreement that the movie was cliche-ridden but many thought the performances made up for the derivative script.

The movie was in development for nearly a decade.  It was inspired by coverage of the real life murder on 60 Minutes.  The children of the real murder victim, Katharina Brow, were not happy with the way their mother’s story was told.  They hired famed attorney Gloria Allred who issued a statement criticizing Swank and the makers of Conviction for not reaching out to the victim’s family.  Allred framed the issue as moral rather than legal and requested that Swank meet with the family.  The meeting never happened but the general consensus was that Allerd was just looking for some free publicity.

Conviction opened in just 11 theaters and slowly spread to a maximum of almost 700 theaters.  It topped out at 11th place at the box office and grossed less than $7 million dollars in the US.  Even with another $3 million in international grosses, the movie fell short of its low $12.5 million dollar budget.

swank - the resident
Hilary Swank – The Resident – 2011

In 2011, Swank starred opposite Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Christopher Lee in the horror movie, The Resident.

Swank played  an emergency room surgeon has recently broken up with her boyfriend and needs a new apartment.  She finds a great place owned by a lonely guy played by Morgan.  They hit it off and begin dating, but soon she worries that he is stalking her.

Reviews were negative and the movie was released direct-to-video.

swank - new years eve
Hilary Swank – New Year’s Eve – 2011

Later that year, Swank appeared as part of the star-studded ensemble in Gary Marshall’s holiday rom com, New Year’s Eve.

Swank played the person responsible for making the ball drop in Times Square on New Year’s Eve.  Like Marshall’s previous hit, Valentine’s Day, New Year’s Eve is the cinematic equivalent of an episode of The Love Boat.  A bunch of celebrities show up in barely connected plot lines and learn an important life lesson.  The cast included Halle Berry, Jessica Biel, Jon Bon Jovi, Robert DeNiro, Ashton Kutcher, Sarah Jessica Parker, Katherine Heigl and Michelle Pfeiffer.

Reviews were negative and the movie failed to duplicate the success of Valentine’s Day at the box office.  Hopefully that will spare us Marshal’s star-studded, life-affirming take on Arbor Day.

Hilary Swank and Jean-Claude van Damme - Party for Chechen president Ramzan Kadyrov - 2011
Hilary Swank and Jean-Claude van Damme – Party for Chechen president Ramzan Kadyrov – 2011

Swank and non-Oscar-winning actor, Jean-Claude van Damme, made headlines for agreeing to appear at a lavish party for Chechen president Ramzan Kadyrov in 2011.  Human Rights Watch issued a statement condemning the Hollywood actors for accepting money to party with a dictator:

Ramzan Kadyrov is linked to a litany of horrific human rights abuses.  It’s inappropriate for stars to get paid to party with him. It bolsters his image and legitimises a brutal leader and his regime. And getting paid to be part of such a lavish show in Chechnya trivialises the suffering of countless victims of human rights abuses there.

During the ceremony, Swank wished Kadyrov a happy birthday.  The master of ceremonies then asked her how she knew it was his birthday to which Swank replied, “I read. I do my research.”  Apparently that research did not include the many atrocities that have been linked to Kadyrov because Swank later pleaded ignorance and expressed her “deep regret” at having participated.

Swank fired her agent and told Jay Leno on The Tonight Show that she donated her fee to charity.  Rumors swirled that Swank and Van Damme were paid up to a million dollars for their attendance.  Swank denied that the fee was anywhere near that much.  When asked to provide documentation of her donated fee, Swank declined.

Hilary Swank - Mary and Martha - 2013
Hilary Swank – Mary and Martha – 2013

In 2013, Swank starred opposite Brenda Blethyn in a TV movie directed by Phillip Noyce.  In Mary and Martha, the actresses played mothers who both lose their sons to malaria.  They end up bonding over their grief and work together to promote malaria prevention.

Mary and Martha premiered in the UK on the BBC and then a month later debuted in the US on HBO.

Hilary Swank - The Horseman - 2014
Hilary Swank – The Homesman – 2014

In 2014, Swank starred opposite Tommy Lee Jones in the period drama, The Homesman.

Swank played a spinster in Nebraska in the 1850’s.  After being turned down by another prospective husband, Swank agrees to escort three young women to a church in Iowa after the harsh winter had broken their spirits.  Jones, who also directed, played a claim jumper who is about to be lynched when Swank hires him to help her in her journey.

Reviews were generally positive.  The Homesman played the film festival circuit and received a limited theatrical release.  It ended up grossing less than $3 million dollars on a $16 million dollar budget.

Hilary Swank - You're Not You - 2014
Hilary Swank – You’re Not You – 2014

Later that year, Swank starred opposite Emmy Rossum in the adaptation of the novel, You’re Not You.

Swank played a classical pianist diagnosed with ALS.  Rossum played a college student who is having a tough time juggling her romantic life and personal responsibilities.  Swank hires Rossum to care for her and the two women bond despite their differences.

The tear-jerker was not well-received by critics.  Entertainment Weekly complained that “Despite offering a well-timed look at the realities of the disease, the movie clunkily eschews cinematic creativity for emotional manipulation.”  While most critics disliked the movie, they did praise Swank and Rossum for their performances.  You’re Not You played in only five theaters before being dumped to video.

In 2015, Swank indicated that she was putting her acting career on the back burner temporarily to help care for her ailing father.  Her father, a retired Air Force Chief Master Sergeant, has been living with Swank since undergoing lung transplant surgery:

There’s been job opportunities that I’ve passed on … But I mean, really, what we’re here for is our family, right?  There’s been a couple projects that are beautiful, but in the end, there’s nothing I want to do more other than being with my dad in his time of need. You can’t get this time back.

Swank was not close to her father as a child, but says that they have formed a bond during their time together.  “It’s actually kind of healing in a way.”

Next up, Swank will be starring opposite Ed Helms in a TV drama on the Starz Network.  The One Percent comes from Birdman director, Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu, who is directing the first two of the ten-episode series.  She’ll also be doing voice work for the animated feature, Spark coming out in 2016.

So, what the hell happened?

Despite winning two Oscars for Best Actress, Swank was never really a box office draw.  The highest grossing movie of her career was Million Dollar Baby which grossed just over $100 million dollars in the US.  Given their respective track records at the box office, you have to credit most of that success to director and star Eastwood.  Outside of that movie, Swank has rarely cracked the $50 million dollar mark.

Something that comes up a lot is Swank’s appearance.  She is undeniably a beautiful woman.  But she is best-know for playing tomboys.  She doesn’t have what you would call “the traditional movie star look”.  Frequently, Swank is the subject of catty “hot or not” style articles on the internet.  I don’t wish to participate in that debate, but I would be remiss if I didn’t mention it as a contributing factor.

Swank is a talented actress.  As her two Oscar wins show, she can hit home runs in the right role.  But those roles are frustratingly rare.  You could describe Boys Don’t Cry and Million Dollar Baby as once-in-a-lifetime parts.  And somehow, Swank managed to get two once-in-a-lifetimes.  Unfortunately, she’s also been involved in a lot of Oscar bait that missed the mark and commercial movies that just fell flat.

Given her talent, Swank will likely continue working for as long as she wishes to do so.  But it doesn’t seem likely that she is going to be able to convert her two Oscar wins into A-list movie stardom.  I imagine she’s probably all right with that though.

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Danielle Charney
Danielle Charney
10 years ago

It’s odd how someone as good looking and talented and in control of herself as Swank is- can fall victim to this difficult business- while I haven’t seen all her films- I’ve seen most of them – the only one I think she was wrongly cast in was Dahlia- but de Palma is famous for being odd- when someone with her abilities, who is no fool can be this batted around- it’s worth noting- I wish her well – if not another Oscar hit- at least some good parts she can shine in-

admin
Admin
admin
10 years ago

I am fairly confident Swank has a long acting career ahead of her. Those Oscars mean she will always have people willing to hire her for the prestige she brings to supporting roles. She is great in the right role. But she struggles in between roles which are few and far between.

J. Norman
J. Norman
9 years ago
Reply to  admin

Hillary Swank seems to be very likable.
I’m not surprised she won an Oscar for Boys Don’t Cry. That is exactly the type of role that Hollywood goes ape s#@t over.
But for the life of me I couldn’t (still can’t) understand the Million Dollar Baby win.
My view of her as an actress is that “she plays a real good tomboy”

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)
Reply to  J. Norman

I suspect that part of the problem with Hilary Swank and why her career fell off so soon after winning her two Oscars is that simply put, she just not attractive enough to sell tickets at the box office. Helen Hunt has the same problem. She has the looks of a character actress, not a lead star. And in Hollywood, they’ll try once or twice with you as an Oscar winner, but if the movie fails at the box office, then your career might likely be all but over in a blink of an eye.

Jake
Jake
10 years ago

Although things can still turn around for Hilary, it’s sad that her career has cooled off recently. She’s not a no-talent party girl like Tara Reid, but doesn’t come across as condescending as Reese Witherspoon sometimes does.
It’s also a shame that Hilary’s been in several films, such as “Amelia” & “The Resident,” which sounded promising but turned out to be bad.

admin
Admin
admin
10 years ago
Reply to  Jake

I think people expected Swank to be a leading lady based on the fact she had the lead role in Boys Don’t Cry. Million Dollar Baby is a lead too, but not THE lead if that makes sense. While Swank has the talent to be a lead, she tends to fit supporting roles better. I think she will probably do a lot more supporting roles in the future.

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)
Reply to  admin

At the end of the day, maybe Hilary Swank’s problem is that she’s really indie level character actress who was pushed to be a mainstream Hollywood superstar. While she course, seems like a great actress you’ll soon notice some weird disconnection with her and the character she’s playing. It’s like she has trouble making her characters feel real.

Molly
Molly
10 years ago

BTW, you didn’t mention that Chechnya thing. It may not have an impact on her career in either case, but she did make headlines for it.

admin
Admin
admin
10 years ago
Reply to  Molly

I meant to include it. Thanks for the reminder. I will go back and add it in.

RB
RB
10 years ago

She got Best Actress Oscars for what look like they would have been VERY difficult roles to play. What a great writeup this was! I agree she has lots of opportunity as a supporting actress, she is the definition of versatile and maybe her next Oscar will be for the right supporting role.
“New Year’s Eve” would be NOT the right supporting role… wow. For once I agreed with the critics on that one. So much A list talent, and not much for any of them to do.

Terrence Michael Clay
10 years ago
Reply to  RB

Hilary Swank in Boys Don’t Cry: http://oscarnerd.blogspot.com/2013/01/hilary-swank-in-boys-dont-cry.html Hilary Swank received a semi-surprise Academy Award for playing Brandon Teena, a brutally murdered transgendered teen in Kimberly Peirce’s first movie, Boys Don’t Cry. Although it was Swank who won the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Drama, Annette Bening was expected to take home the Oscar for her performance in the smash hit American Beauty. I cannot find a sensible reason for this upset besides the simple fact that this was one of the rare occasions that the Academy voted for what they found the best performance of the year. I… Read more »

Terrence Michael Clay
10 years ago

Hilary Swank in Million Dollar Baby: http://oscarnerd.blogspot.com/2011/11/hilary-swank-in-million-dollar-baby.html Hilary Swank received her second Best Actress nomination and win for playing Maggie Fitzgerald, an aspiring female boxer in 2004’s Best Picture winner, Million Dollar Baby. Hilary Swank wasn’t considered a front-runner at the beginning of the awards season as Imelda Staunton or Annette Bening were expected to win their first Oscars. Imelda was the critics’ darling, Annette was the industry favorite. And there came the stupid Golden Globes that like to mix up things and give the edge to the stars (see Sandra Bullock) and then the SAG followed because (I guess)… Read more »

Terrence Michael Clay
10 years ago

Hilary Swank’s Latest Goes Straight to DVD — Is Her Career in a Slump? http://blog.moviefone.com/2011/01/07/hilary-swanks-dvd/ When news broke last month that Hilary Swank’s latest film, a horror movie entitled ‘The Resident,’ would go straight to DVD in the States many of us wondered what this meant for the revival of Hammer Films. The venerable British horror studio was a driving force in fright flicks in the ’60s and ’70s thanks to a barrage of classic films featuring Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee. Things haven’t gone quite as swimmingly for the revamped Hammer – their first film, ‘Let Me In’ (a… Read more »

Terrence Michael Clay
10 years ago

Post-Oscar Underachievers:15 Academy Award Winners Whose Follow-Ups Did Not Hold Up:
http://styleblazer.com/120232/post-oscar-underachievers15-academy-award-winners-whose-follow-ups-did-not-hold-up/4/

Two time Academy Award winner Hilary Swank shouldn’t be on this list. But since being honored for Million Dollar Baby, the actress has been racking up a series of cinematic clunkers. Quite frankly, titles like The Reaping, The Resident, and The Black Dahlia failed to utilize the actresses talents like her Oscar darlings. She too will be descending into the ranks of made-for-television movies this year with Mary & Marcy, a drama produced by HBO and the BBC.

Terrence Michael Clay
10 years ago

It’s All Downhill From Here: Ten Actors Who Will Never Surpass Their Earliest Roles: http://www.pajiba.com/seriously_random_lists/its-all-downhill-from-here-ten-actors-who-will-never-surpass-their-earliest-roles.php Hilary Swank Seminal Role: Brandon Teena (Boys Don’t Cry) Oh, the Karate Kid franchise has taken down many, many careers. And though she started out as Girl Karate Kid, it was this dramatic turn that earned her her first Academy nod. She’s the reason I fear for Gabby Sidibe. Because Hilary Swank started snaggletoothing a number of performances and people just kept throwing accolades at her. Undeserved accolades. Like Julia Roberts level of undeserved. She was magnificent as Brandon Teena, but from then on out,… Read more »

admin
Admin
admin
10 years ago

“Oh, the Karate Kid franchise has taken down many, many careers. ” Has it. I think it has made more careers than it has “taken down”. I don’t think Pat Morita or Ralph Macchio ever would have been as big as they were without the Karate Kid. While it didn’t make them stars, it could only have helped Elisabeth Shue and Hilary Swank at that point in their careers. Even the remake helped give Jackie Chan some late career relevance. It may be the start of a backlash for Jayden Smith, but it gave him what will likely be his… Read more »

Craig Hansen
Craig Hansen
10 years ago
Reply to  admin

Perfectly said. i don’t know how many remember, but pre-Karate Kid, Pat Morita was a character actor known pretty much only for a small recurring role on Happy Days as a cook at Mel’s Drive In. He got a surprise Oscar nom for Best Supporting Actor for his work in Karate Kid, and a durable film career, even a couple of other lead film roles afterwards. Ralph Macchio was an unknown actor prior to Karate Kid. So was Elisabeth Shue. Karate Kid was a low-budget teen flick that unexpectedly became one of the biggest hits of 1984. Even Hilary Swank,… Read more »

RB
RB
10 years ago
Reply to  Craig Hansen

Was just watching the original Karate Kid a couple of nights ago and it holds up pretty well to the test of time. Plus my kids saw it for the first time and were noticeably caught up in it after first pretending not to notice some old movie that Mom was watching. It also reminded me of the excellent MAD magazine parody that was done, wish I had saved those old issues!

admin
Admin
admin
10 years ago
Reply to  RB

KK is a part of my teen years just like Superman and Star Wars are forever associated with being a kid. I can’t watch any of those movies objectively. I couldn’t judge whether or not the movie holds up well today because it transports me back to when I was a kid of the non-karate variety. It’s pretty simple storytelling and that usually ages well. So I can see why kids today would still be able to relate. Just talking about KK starts my Elisabeth Shue crush flaring up all over again.

admin
Admin
admin
10 years ago
Reply to  Craig Hansen

Exactly. I think what the meant to say is that most people associated with the Karate Kid franchise went on to success but their careers have since cooled off. Or maybe the author just doesn’t know what he or she is talking about. Which seems to be surprisingly common in a lot of these lists.

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)

10 Actresses Whose Careers Went Downhill After Winning An Oscar: http://whatculture.com/film/10-actresses-whose-careers-went-downhill-winning-oscar.php/8 Hilary Swank It may be odd to see a two-time Oscar winner on this list, but Hilary Swank has had an odd career. When she won her first Oscar, her career was on the rise, as expected. She starred in critically-acclaimed movies such as Insomnia and 11:14, and then took audiences by storm with her powerful performance in Clint Eastwood’s Million Dollar Baby. At age 30, with two Oscars, it seemed Swank could not do anything wrong. But the films she’s appeared in since Million Dollar Baby have mostly… Read more »

Terrence Michael Clay
10 years ago

MOVIE JAIL: THIS WEEK’S DEFENDANT IS…HILARY SWANK! http://www.joblo.com/movie-news/movie-jail-this-weeks-defendant-ishilary-swank The Defendant Hilary Swank The Case The Prosecution: P.S. I Love You, New Year’s Eve, Amelia, The Next Karate Kid, The Reaping, The Core, The Gift* Ladies and Gentlemen of the jury, how about we make this three weeks in a row for Academy Award winning actresses on trial? How about that? The JoBlo Movie Podast received a voicemail last week about how incredibly overrated Ms. Hilary Swank is. We did some digging into her case, and while we don’t find her particularly overrated, we do see a lack of quality movies… Read more »

Terrence Michael Clay
10 years ago

The Star Market: Hilary Swank Has Two Oscars, But What’s Her Value in Hollywood? http://www.vulture.com/2010/10/the_star_market_hilary_swank.html Only twelve women have won more than one Best Actress Oscar, and Hilary Swank did it before she turned 30. With that milestone met, she joined an elite group of actresses that includes Jodie Foster and Bette Davis, but even that exceptionally high level of praise from her peers hasn’t given Swank carte blanche to do whatever she wants in Hollywood. Unlike many actresses her age, the 36-year-old Swank is better suited for award-caliber dramas than romantic comedies, and while Hollywood is rough on women… Read more »

Shemp
9 years ago

File Swank under: Good actress that’s been in lots of mediocre or crap movies.

And while this is an over-simplification, that is why Ms. HS is perhaps another bomb or 2 before a return to TV. Sure, partying with a vicious dictator didn’t help, but rappers and football players do worse stuff all the time and they still (unfortunately) have careers….but Swank was perceived by the public as a poor-girl-that-climbed-to-the-top and the “dictator incident” made her look like just another Hollyweird whore.

Terrence Michael Clay
10 years ago

Yes, Hilary Swank is pretty. But why do we care? http://popwatch.ew.com/2011/05/10/hilary-swank-pretty-radio/ It’s the question that has long been dissected and cemented in pop culture, thanks to a memorable episode of The Office surrounding the topic: Is Hilary Swank attractive? Well it looks like the subject is about to be resurrected once again. During an interview with Swank on Los Angeles public radio station KCRW, Kim Masters spoke with the actress about other, older actresses’ struggles finding work in the industry, to which Swank responded, “I’m still young enough that I haven’t been feeling the brunt of that. Certainly, you hear… Read more »

Terrence Michael Clay
10 years ago

From Complex.com: The 10 Lamest White Savior Movies 7. Freedom Writers (2007) Director: Richard LaGravenese Stars: Hilary Swank, Imelda Staunton, Patrick Dempsey, Scott Glenn, Mario, April L. Hernandez, Kristin Herrera If there’s an actor’s handbook, this has to be one of the boldest-typed rules: When all else fails, play a fish-out-of-water teacher in a ghetto school. It’s the safest way to flex dramatic muscles, requiring very little heavy lifting other than rehashing the performances of every other respectable thespian who’s waved the metric ruler and hugged it out with schoolyard gangstas on screen. Following in the footsteps of Michelle Pfeiffer,… Read more »

Brad
Brad
10 years ago

What are your thoughts on the controversy Swank suffered because of attending Chechen Republic President Ramzan Kadyrov’s birthday party. If memory serves, her management dumped her shortly after the press latched onto the story.

admin
Admin
admin
10 years ago
Reply to  Brad

Well, she doesn’t have a high school diploma. What do you expect?

Ever see an interview with Anothy Hopkins? He can play brilliant, but he doesn’t come across as an especially smart guy when he doesn’t have a script full of big words. Swank is a talented actress, but she never had much of an education. Ignorance is to be expected.

Brad
Brad
10 years ago
Reply to  admin

Good point. We expect our stars to be smart, articulate and clever without realizing many of them are poorly educated and/ or sheltered. Take the script out of their hands and thrust them into a challenging interivew and you quickly find out their screen persona is exactly that…a persona.

admin
Admin
admin
10 years ago
Reply to  Brad

That’s why they call it acting. Some of them are god at acting smart even if they don’t necessarily understand the words they are articulating.

katt
katt
9 years ago
Reply to  admin

“Well, she doesn’t have a high school diploma. What do you expect?” Yikes. Do you really mean this or were you just being sarcastic? Because you must know that just because someone doesn’t have a high school diploma doesn’t mean they’re not intelligent, especially if they’re dedicated to self-education. And on the other hand, that just because someone does have a high school or even a college diploma doesn’t automatically mean they are intelligent. I do, however, get the point about how actors can often appear more intelligent than they really are when they have a script to follow. (And… Read more »

admin
Admin
admin
9 years ago
Reply to  katt

I’m glad you asked me to clarify. Because taken out of context, yeah, that comment sounds pretty judgemental. I know people without a college education or even a high school diploma who are intelligent. My comments were specific to Swank. She was living out of her car. She’s a child actress who made good. But she’s had no education whatsoever. I don’t expect her to understand complex political situations like the one she walked into. That doesn’t mean she’s unintelligent. Just that it is understandable that someone with her background wouldn’t necessarily be up on world politics. No insult intended.… Read more »

katt
katt
9 years ago
Reply to  admin

Okay, so it sounds like you simply could have chosen your words better. I can accept that. 🙂

Thanks for clarifying.

Geo
Geo
10 years ago

Yeah, we accidentally saw The Resident. Funny how RedBox is the source of most of our viewing mishaps.

admin
Admin
admin
10 years ago
Reply to  Geo

Red Box is great for cheap entertainment. But sometimes you get what you pay for. See also Netflix.

Shemp
10 years ago
Reply to  Geo

“The Resident” was/is basically on a par with those Lifetime/USA Network “woman in peril” movies….and that’s not a good thing for Swank OR a halfway discerning viewer.

Jake
Jake
10 years ago

The dark turn “Million Dollar Baby” takes reminds me a bit of the one “The Beaver” takes, which makes me wonder if “Baby” would have been as embraced (let alone won those Oscars) if Clint had been the one to go ape$hit like Mel did.

admin
Admin
admin
10 years ago
Reply to  Jake

The Beaver was something else, wasn’t it? Frankly, I don’t think Eastwood could have pulled off that role as an actor. Gibson’s performance was really amazing. Unfortunately, he had too much baggage. So it was hard for audiences to get past it. In addition, I just don’t think Foster was up to the task as a director. And I say that as a close personal friend of Foster who met her once. 😉 That movie didn’t just change tones. It veered wildly from dismal drama to romantic comedy to farce. Sometimes it would shift gears mid-scene. I found it to… Read more »

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)
Reply to  Jake

https://www.facebook.com/groups/thecinefiles/permalink/10153301530295795/

Watched Million Dollar Baby the other night. In the real world, Blue Bear who had been warned once and penalized once in the final fight, would have lost by disqualification and banned from boxing for life. In the movie world she was the “winner”. Total BS and a huge mistake in the screen play. IMHO. Let’s at least try to keep it real.

admin
Admin
admin
7 years ago

I’m not sure about these links to reddit conversations. I’d like to see some more meat on the bones rather than just a link to a topic on reddit. Ideally, I’d like to see some links from the conversation in reddit leading back here! Readers, are you finding value in the reddit links? I’m all for sending Le Blog readers to reddit in order to have them post links back here either in the comments sections or in various rubreddits. But I’m not sure the bare links are helpful. Anyone have any opinions they want to share? Are these good… Read more »

admin
Admin
admin
7 years ago

I virtually never have time to follow the links in comments, whether to reddit or anything else.

admin
Admin
admin
7 years ago
Reply to  admin

LOL. I know what you mean. I generally allow links and such in the comments section for readers who want some supplementary reading. Some readers have complained about “spam” while others have said they enjoy following the links. For selfish reasons, I’d like people familiar with this site to go promote it on reddit or anywhere else, but that’s another matter. But just a link to something on reddit with no other description seems to cross a line to my mind. TMC, I went back and looked at previous links you have posted. In the past, you have included some… Read more »

pvalenti
10 years ago

Hey, great blog and great portraits of actors who fell out of fame! Love reading this stuff. It’s also interesting to notice the differences in career perception from the US to here where I live (Switzerland, Central Europe). I read the WTHHT about Nick Cage, and I confim that he still is a box-office draw over here, although not an A-lister like Tom Cruise or Tom Hanks. Even Hilary Swank has not faded into oblivion, but from her we expect some strong art-house performance, not blockbuster stuff (to me she has not that kind of charisma and she is not… Read more »

admin
Admin
admin
10 years ago
Reply to  pvalenti

Thanks for the kind words. I took care of the e-mail problem in this post. In the future, you’ll want to change how your name appears on your WP account to prevent that from happening again. If you post here, I’ll do my best to keep your private information from being displayed. The global market is becoming increasingly important. It’s creating a weird wrinkle where a guy like Cage is seen as a has-been in the US, but he keeps making movies because he remains popular overseas. As for Swank, clearly the mainstream projects haven’t worked out the way she… Read more »

RB
RB
10 years ago
Reply to  admin

Now that is interesting. Makes me wonder if “Dances With Wolves” for example, would get greenlit today or have been relegated to a TV miniseries.

admin
Admin
admin
10 years ago
Reply to  RB

Spielberg and Lucas recently discussed much of what is wrong with the movie industry today and made several predictions about a coming “implosion”:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2013/jun/13/steven-spielberg-george-lucas-film-industry

I’m not sure if that implosion is coming or not, but they really highlight some of the current issues with the industry.

paolov69
10 years ago
Reply to  admin

It’s me again, but now it should be better namewise… Sad, anyway, as Spielberg says, let’s wait that 5-6 big budget movies flop in a row, then we’ll see what Hollywood will do. The problem is: what next trick would attract audiences? Like in the 70s, maybe they’d scale back to quality movies… Did you know that Kim Basinger is still a living legend here because of 9 and 1/2 weeks and she was almost a selling point in 8 miles (ok, Eminem was bigger then)? Once they hit really big, we stick to them. I guess that American audiences… Read more »

admin
Admin
admin
10 years ago
Reply to  paolov69

I think you are right that European audiences are more loyal (in general) than American audiences. We are a lot more likely to toss an actor or especially an actress aside when we deem them “too old”. Basinger is a perfect example. I think part of Cage’s appeal overseas is that he makes a lot of action movies which don’t suffer from being translated into other languages. The situation Hollywood finds itelf in is really unfortunate. I’m not sure what they do next. Little by little, they have been shortening theatrical run times for the last several decades. They have… Read more »

Joboots
Joboots
10 years ago

Don’t be suprised if Swank goes back to the TV series route,which seems suited for her talents,IMO!!! But for prestige
flicks for women if your name isn’t Streep,Dench,Mirren or Sarandon,you’ll sometimes end up like burnt toast,to be
honest!!!!

admin
Admin
admin
10 years ago
Reply to  Joboots

TV has been good to actresses lately. I would not be at all surprised to see Swank return to the small screen.

Shemp
10 years ago

There’s something wrong with “The Beaver.” Sorry, I couldn’t resist. More & more it’s looking like Swank is an actress that’s been INCREDIBLY LUCKY than incredibly good…”Amelia…” was nice-looking but dull crap (she and Gere had no chemistry AT ALL) and “The Resident” was MAJOR CRAP, the kind of junk that the Tara Reids of the world do on their (presumably) way-up the H’wood ladder, Plus, the incident where she wished “Happy B’day!” to one of the world’s worst dictators (for a nice fat fee) didn’t help — it made her look as if she were just another H’wood whore,… Read more »

admin
Admin
admin
10 years ago
Reply to  Shemp

Awesomely bad pun. Hats off!

I really think the birthday incident was out of ignorance. Like I said, she isn’t the most educated gal in the world. I think she has talent, but she has to be in the right movie. And those kinds of movies – little independent films – are an endangered species in the age of tentpole movies. Also, she’s picked some real losers as you point out.

Shemp
10 years ago

Didn’t she say the immortal/immoral line in “The Core”: “Hot dang!” or was it “Hot damn!” Yeah, I’D PAY to see ANY movie that had a GOOD ACTRESS uttering such a “line”! HS would be best-served sticking to indie movies — true, they are an “endangered species” but haven’t they always been? Whenever HS tries to do more mainstream-type stuff, it’s usually GARBAGE — do the math. As for her not being all that educated, heck, Hollyweird is FULL of dumb people that do “smart-ish” things! All she had to do was do a google-search for “Moe Hailstone, beloved leader… Read more »

admin
Admin
admin
10 years ago
Reply to  Shemp

I have blocked The Core from my mind. I was dragged to it against my will with exceedingly low expectations. Although, the cast almost made it worth watching once. No there was a time when independent films thrived. In the 90s, they practically became mainstream with the success of Miramax. Those were heady days. Today, even Spielberg has trouble getting smaller films made. And he’s far from independent. I am certain indie films will continue to exist. But they will probably not be seen in nearly as many theaters as they used to be. More and more, they are going… Read more »

exfilmie
exfilmie
10 years ago

Perhaps the reason Swank has ‘dropped off the map’ is because she’s a nightmare to work with. I can’t tell you which feature film I worked on with her (it could end up hurting me) but she and the director couldn’t stand each other. She came to work every day NEVER knowing her lines. She’s also of the school of acting (see Michael Douglas on Inside the Actor’s Studio) who believes you only have to “Act during your close-ups.” I’m not kidding. Michael Douglas said it best when he didn’t name names, but said it’s very unprofessional and unfair to… Read more »

Shemp
10 years ago
Reply to  exfilmie

re: she must know something, she has won two Oscars. Hey, do you remember who won Best New Artist Grammy in 1978 (maybe ’79)? A Taste of Honey, for their monster (but crap) hit “Boogie Oogie Oogie.” That “group” was a ONE HIT WONDER — one huge hit, still played on oldies stations, but they went back to the primordial ooze from which they came. Swank may’ve indeed won TWO Oscars, but almost everything else she’s starred in is mediocre or crap. If she’s not careful, she’ll end up in a sitcom with Mira Sorvino…or being her roommate for real.… Read more »

admin
Admin
admin
10 years ago
Reply to  Shemp

Hey, let’s leave Mira Sorvino out of this! 😉

admin
Admin
admin
10 years ago
Reply to  exfilmie

To a certain extent, I expect actors to be a bit narcissistic. It comes with the territory. I have two actor-types writing here and they are both such prima donnas! 😉 But given Swank’s background, I don’t really expect her to be well adjusted. She’s under-educated. She went from living in her car to being a two-time Oscar winner. Of course she’s going to be all kinds of messed up.

Having said that, if she was showing up not knowing her lines and only acting for the close-ups, those statues will only take her so far.

admin
Admin
admin
10 years ago
Reply to  admin

A healthy ego is necessary if you’re going to stand up and expect people to sit and listen. Of course you’ll often find that many of these egos are paper tigers, put in place specifically to shield terrible personal uncertainty. How else could an actor be prepared to bare his emotions on demand without just being a total phony?

RB
RB
10 years ago
Reply to  admin

Hey, I could never have done it, and maintain respect for those who do. It’s more than having the presence and confidence, I got a glimpse of the stage world in a high school workshop. It was more than memorizing pages and pages of lines. Knowing how to use the stage, working on the disconnect between what you think you are emoting, and what actually comes across….not easy. I wasn’t comfortable in that skin but loved doing the camera work and when it was my turn to direct. That should have been my true calling 🙂 Flash forward years later.… Read more »

Jeremy
Jeremy
8 years ago
Reply to  admin

Who are you to call anyone uneducated? Are you smarter than everyone because you went to school. I doubt that .

admin
Admin
admin
8 years ago
Reply to  Jeremy

Perhaps “unsophisticated” might be a better description.

admin
Admin
admin
8 years ago
Reply to  admin

No, I think “under educated” is the phrase. It’s not a matter of opinion that Swank lacks a formal education. Does that make her stupid? No. Although the incident in question reflected poorly on her decision making which I suspect had something to do with her lack of education. She was living in her car while she was acting. She didn’t finish high school. I expect for someone with that kind of background to have some knowledge gaps. Maybe she’s used her down time to fill them in. Maybe not. I’m really not judging. Just pointing out the fact that… Read more »

Jeremy
Jeremy
8 years ago
Reply to  admin

Perhaps arrogant and full of self.

admin
Admin
admin
8 years ago
Reply to  Jeremy

Oh Jeremy you cut me to the quick! I hate to be thought of as “full of self”.

Jeremy
Jeremy
8 years ago
Reply to  admin

The truth hurts don’t it!

RB
RB
8 years ago
Reply to  Jeremy

Lebeau isn’t “full of himself” on the contrary, I’ve never seen a blog host who is as welcoming of any and all comments. That takes a personality who is about much more than themself. You’ll come across lots of people in your life that are all about themselves, I promise you, Lebeau is not one of them.

admin
Admin
admin
8 years ago
Reply to  RB

Thanks, RB. Those who know my best know I’m all about that bass. No treble.

I’m toying with our new friend, Jeremy. Maybe he’ll come around and understand we’re just having fun here. No Swanks were harmed in the writing of this article.

Jeremy
Jeremy
8 years ago
Reply to  admin

We are not friends a**hole.

admin
Admin
admin
8 years ago
Reply to  Jeremy

So so very much. I’m wounded, good sir. You have peered into my soul and exposed my short comings.

Orrrrrrr you are over-reacting to a statement of fact because you have formed some kind of personal attachment to an actress you have never met.

I am going with option 2 myself.

Jeremy
Jeremy
8 years ago
Reply to  admin

You can hate on who ever you want but the fact remains Hillary is talented and successful. And will continue to make hit movies.By the way her recent movie Your Not You is very good.

admin
Admin
admin
8 years ago
Reply to  Jeremy

Nobody is ‘hating’ on Swank here. Nobody doubts the talent and success she has. If you were familiar with this series you would see that we at the blog acknowledge the fantastic careers that are detailed here. Most of the subjects of “What the Hell Happened” are performers we really like. That doesn’t mean they have no flaws.

Jeremy
Jeremy
8 years ago
Reply to  admin

In my opinion calling someone uneducated is a diss. And if you read the blog and comments there is mainly negativity towards Hillary which is not neccessary. I have not seen one positive towards Hillary on here.

admin
Admin
admin
8 years ago
Reply to  admin

Be careful what you call a dis. Biggie’s song “Kick In The Door” is a dis (and a very well-done one at that). Nothing on here is.

admin
Admin
admin
8 years ago
Reply to  admin

As for nothing positive, here’s a direct quote from the article itself:

“That’s not to take anything away from Swank who is clearly a talented actress.”

Jeremy
Jeremy
8 years ago
Reply to  admin

Are you trying to be funny? Because you are not even close. Bye the way the title is What The Hell Happened To Hillary Swank but she is still making decent movies. Maybe it should be what the f*uck happened to Alicia Sylverstone

admin
Admin
admin
8 years ago
Reply to  Jeremy

Look around. There IS one on Alicia Silverstone.

Jeremy
Jeremy
8 years ago
Reply to  admin

Whoops misspelled Silverstone maybe if I was well educated like some other people on this blog I would of spelled that right.

admin
Admin
admin
8 years ago
Reply to  Jeremy

Typos happen. I certainly try to avoid and/or correct them. But everyone makes mistakes. It’s no big deal. I’ve given you a bit of a hard time because you came out on the attack. But if you read the article, the comments and the related articles in the series, I think you’ll see that Swank is being treated fairly here. Another reader took me to task here in the comments section for my original statement about Swank’s education and I clarified that it was in no way meant as a blanket statement on people who lack a formal education. I… Read more »

Jeremy
Jeremy
8 years ago
Reply to  admin

Ok first of all I am not defensive about my education. And in today’s world people are negative. And I guess I am too because the only thing that I got from your last statement was I will delete you. Thats kind of rude if you ask me. I was only joking but I guess just like me you only pulled the negative out. Next time I read your statement I will look past the negativety. OR WILL I?

admin
Admin
admin
8 years ago
Reply to  Jeremy

Well you did call me an “asshole”, Jeremy. I’m not sure you’re in a position to be judging rude behavior. 😉

Jeremy
Jeremy
8 years ago
Reply to  admin

Your right I should have not resulted into name calling because of your opinion. I am sorry. And I do respect your opinion.

admin
Admin
admin
8 years ago
Reply to  Jeremy

See, told ya we could be friends! 😉

admin
Admin
admin
8 years ago
Reply to  Jeremy

Okay, so kidding around didn’t work. Let’s look at some facts. Is Swank still working? Yes. Something which the article makes apparent by addressing all of her movies up until the time the article was written. I actually do intend to update the article for more recent movies at a later date. With 89 articles in the series, I don’t get around to updating older articles as often as I would like. Are the movies “decent”? Her most recent movie, You’re Not You, currently has a 40% approval rating at Rotten Tomatoes. The Homesman which also came out in 2014… Read more »

Jeremy
Jeremy
8 years ago
Reply to  admin

IMDb has this movie at 7.4. Are you saying because Rotten Tamatoes gives low score the movie is no good? I do not go off a website if a movie is good or bad!

admin
Admin
admin
8 years ago
Reply to  Jeremy

I didn’t say You’re Not You was bad or good. I said it was “poorly received”. It has a 40% approval rating at RT and a 56% score at Metacritic. Both of those sites aggregate reviews by movie critics. The 7.4 rating you are citing is a user review. Since the movie only showed in 5 theaters, you have to go out of your way to see it. It’s not surprising that the majority of people who did so and then took the time to rate it at IMDB gave it a positive score. That’s not indicative of much. Whether… Read more »

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)
Reply to  exfilmie

Hilary Swank’s PR Team Dumps Her: http://www.crazydaysandnights.net/2011/11/hilary-swanks-pr-team-dumps-her.html Well, I guess turnabout is fair play. After Hilary Swank much of last week and this firing everyone from her manager to her agent, Hilary’s PR team decided they were going to drop Hilary as a client. According to Entertainment Weekly, the two had a very strong disagreement about how to best handle the fallout after the event. Hilary went with the blame everyone but myself strategy while the PR company wanted her to do more of a mea culpa. That usually works best. Fall on your sword and be done with it.… Read more »

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)
Reply to  exfilmie

Future of Movie Stars: Who Will Shine? Who Will Fade Away?

SEANC, ON 02 MAR 2016 – 07:51 AM, SAID:
I don’t really see the comparison. She’s had a pretty solid career in indie drama and supporting roles in somewhat larger films prior to winning an Oscar. She’s also more conventionally attractive than Swank (who got a lot of ridiculous BS about her face).

http://forums.previously.tv/topic/7750-future-of-movie-stars-who-will-shine-who-will-fade-away/page-26#entry2015629

Swank also has this vaguely off-putting vibe to her. (It’s really hard to describe it, but there’s a reason why she never took off when she tried to do romantic comedies.)

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)
Reply to  exfilmie

https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/19rq7a/whose_the_biggest_asshole_famous_person_youve/c8qs2xf Hilary Swank. She came into the restaurant I was working at at the time, sometime around 2005, and she was such a bitch. She must have said “Do you know who the f*** I am? I’m Hilary Swank” a hundred times. She and her entourage of maybe 5 or 6 others basically drove a lot of our regulars out with their swearing and drunk aholeness. She ended up climbing on top of the table and yelling at people in a drunken stupor things like “I f***ing love me” and “Where’s that faot waiter” and things of that sort. Also,… Read more »

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)

Would Hilary’s “Boys Don’t Cry” co-star Chloe Sevigny be worthy of a WTHHT? Granted, Sevigny to the best of my knowledge, was never remotely A-list, but it seems like a lot a people feel that she ruined her chances at getting more high profile/mainstream work by making the film “Brown Bunny”. In “Brown Bunny”, Sevigny performs unsimulated oral sex on her co-star Vincent Gallo.

http://www.avmaniacs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=46334&p=832304&viewfull=1#post832304

Shemp
10 years ago

I think Sevigny “bounced back” in TV — I think she was a regular on “Big Love” and she’s in the new show “Those Who Kill.” Hey, if it weren’t for television….and “Brown Bunny” didn’t do any favors for Gallo’s career either.

Shemp
9 years ago

I heard “Brown Bunny” sucks.

Sorry, I couldn’t resist.

Despite all the praise it got, I couldn’t even finish Vinnie G’s “Buffalo 66” — another quirky-with-a-capital-Q indie movie that gives quirky indie movies a bad name. Speakin’ o’ which, didn’t VINCENT GALLO have a career at one point?

Joboots
Joboots
9 years ago

Wonder did the studios spoke too highly of Hilary after Boys & again after MDB the way
Columbia/Sony spoke too highly of Alicia Sliverstone post-Clueless,perhaps????

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)
Reply to  Joboots

I don’t think that comparing Hilary Swank to Alicia Silverstone is a fair enough of a comparison. I do think that after “Clueless”, Alicia Silverstone’s value was overestimated. While “Clueless” was a hit, it wasn’t exactly a mega-blockbuster (I would consider “Clueless” more of a cult film/sleeper hit, that wound up carrying an entire generation a la “Mean Girls” a decade later) that would in turn, warrant Alicia such a lucrative production deal w/ Columbia. While Hilary Swank never proved herself capable of opening/carrying a major film by herself (similar to Mira Sorvino for example), she did otherwise just win… Read more »

bodwaya
bodwaya
9 years ago

she needs to work with top director she has it in her to deliver an oscar winning role. She should give eastwood another call

admin
Admin
admin
9 years ago

A few years ago I was having a discussion on another film forum and someone made this observation:

Swank is a very credible actress, but it’s disturbing that she’s been typecast as the underdog who gets beaten to death.

Quite a bit of truth to that.

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