andwasrankedfifth inWashington
state forgymnastics)whileEarhart’s
mothermadeherpantaloonssoshe
couldclimb trees.Bothhadverysup-
portivemothersandwereaheadof
their time.Earhart’s biggest pas-
sionwas to become a pilot, and
Swankenthusiastically learned tofly
for thefilm. “Itwas extraordinary,”
the accomplishedactressreflects. “I
couldnotplayAmeliaand
not
learn
how tofly. Itwouldhavebeenan injus-
tice!”And theyareboth risk takers.
“Ameliawasnaive inher risks; she
was reallypassionateaboutpursuing
herdreamofflying,wanted it sobad-
ly, andworkedsohard. I immediately
felt this kind of kindred spirit,” she
continues. Swankmightaswell have
beendescribingherself.
Growingup ina trailerpark in
Bellingham,Washington,Swank took
risksevenatayoungage.Bittenby
theactingbugat theageof 9whenher
teacherasked thestudents towrite
andperformaskit, sherecalls the
light-bulbmomentasoneof feeling
“themostalive Ihaveever felt.” Even-
tuallyher focusedanddetermined
motherdroveanequallydetermined
15-year-old1,200miles toLosAngeles
topursueacting, living foraperiod in
theirOldsmobile.
Rolessoon followedonboth the
smallandbigscreens—
BeverlyHills,
90210
(1997–’98) to
Buffy theVampire
Slayer
(1992)and
TheNextKarateKid
(1994),whereshebeatouthundredsof
actresses for theroleandputhergym-
nasticskills touse.Perhapsher
breakoutmoment camewith the
castingofapoignantyetunusual role
ofa transgenderedman in
BoysDon’t
Cr
y (1999). Inpreparation for theplum
part, sheactuallychoppedoffherhair
and lived foramonthasaboy.The
method styleof actingpaidoff and
she receivedbothanOscarand
GoldenGlobe for best actress. As
the third-youngest actress towin
two coveted statues, she joinsan
elite clubof actresses—Vivien
Leigh, HelenHayes, Sally Field,
and LuiseRainer—withaperfect
Oscar-winning track recordof two
wins and twonominations.
Swankhasalsoplayeda suffra-
gettefighting forawoman’s right to
vote (
Iron JawedAngels
, 2004), an
inner-cityschoolteacher (
Freedom
Writers,
2007), adetective (
Insomnia
,
2002), andevenapennilessFrench
aristocrat (
TheAffairof theNecklace
,
2001). Perhapsher trifectaaward-
winning (Oscar, ScreenActorsGuild,
andGoldenGlobe)portrayalof female
boxerMaggieFitzgerald inClint
Eastwood’s
MillionDollarBaby
(2004)was the role that, inherwords,
hit theclosest tohome. “Thereare
piecesofme ineverycharacter, but
Maggie is theone Imost identify
with,”sheexplains. “Maggiehada
dreamandmoved toLosAngeles to
pursue thatdream. Shewasahard
worker, verydriven, came froma
trailerpark, andneededsomeone to
believe inher.”Lifeoften imitatesart
and, once again, Swank couldbe
talkingaboutherself.
With twomorefilmscompleted
(
BettyAnneWaters
and
TheResident
)
andseveralprojects indevelopment,
it’shard to imagine theactressand
“Maggie is the one I most identify with.”
COVER STORY
Destined to Soar
MILLION DOLLAR BABY
©WarnerBrothers/courtesyeverettcollection
WInTER 2009
celebratedliving.com
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