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Hollywood Success and Marital Turmoil
RD: In your new movie Freedom Writers, you play Erin Gruwell, an amazing high school teacher in L.A. in the early 1990s. What drew you to the character?Swank: She's a hero. I loved how she would never take no for an answer.
RD: She was almost naive in her ideas about how to reach kids.
Swank: It's interesting that you say that, because I've been told a lot in my life, "You're just naive." If I had said, "Yeah, maybe you're right," I probably wouldn't have pushed as hard to break through as many doors to be where I am now.
RD: Who instilled you with that belief in yourself?
Swank: My mom. She said, "You can do anything you want in life, Hilary, as long as you work hard enough. Don't take no for an answer." She didn't want me to be afraid of taking life by the reins and making the most of it.
RD: You and your mom are very close. What about your dad?
Swank: He wasn't around much when I was growing up. He and my mom were having problems. Later, I reached out to him, and we got back in touch.
RD: When you and your mom came to L.A., did you have any idea what you were up against? Were you afraid?
Swank: No. It felt like an adventure.
RD: Did your success surprise you?
Swank: After Boys Don't Cry, I started hearing people I admired saying my name. I was like, "How do they know who I am?" I still sometimes feel like that little girl from Washington who came here with this dream and is getting all these opportunities, but one of these days, someone's going to say, "Wait a minute. How did you get in?"
RD: I'll bet a lot of people get inspiration hearing your story.
Swank: When kids say to me, "You came from nothing and made yourself something -- I can do that too," well, if I died tomorrow, I'd feel like I'd accomplished something.
RD: You were married to Chad Lowe for eight years and recently divorced. Are you still friends?
Swank: Mm-hmm. Yes.
RD: Did your career play any role in the breakup?
Swank: Absolutely not.
RD: So what happened?
Swank: Millions of men and women fall in love, get married, then get divorced. We all want to find love, and you try the best you can. If what happened to me helps someone realize they're in a great relationship and to hold the person closer, then do it. If it makes someone realize they're in an unhealthy relationship that is making them both unhappy, then it's not the end of the world.
RD: Still, you've said the breakup was painful. What's helped you through?
Swank: You really rely on your friends when you go through something so big. My friends are my family.
RD: What about finding love again?
Swank: I'm dating a great guy.
RD: Would you like to settle down one day and have kids?
Swank: It's hard. I love my job and I love to travel, but yeah, certainly.
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