What the Hell Happened to Hilary Swank?

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http://lebeauleblog.com/2013/05/31/what-the-hell-happened-to-hilary-swank/

Hilary Swank came from humble beginnings. By the age of 30, she had
won two Academy Awards for Best Actress. But after winning her second
Oscar, Swank’s career has 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?

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.

In 1991, Swank paid her dues on TV sitcoms like Harry and the
Hendersons, Evening Shade and Growing Pains (pictured above). On
Growing Pains, she worked alongside Leonadro DiCaprio. All that
talent and Kirk Cameron too.

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

The movie starred Kristy Swanson as the titular hero and featured
Beverly Hills 90210 heart throb, Luke Perry, in a supporting role.

Expectations for the Buffy movie were high based on a clever script by
Joss Whedon and Perry’s rabid fan base. But the movie did not get the
tone of the script right. Whedon was so frustrated by the experience
(and Donald Sutherland in particular who he hates to this day) that he
left the set and never returned. Eventually, he took the material to
TV where he could give it his own spin.

The reviews for the movie were negative and it disappointed at the box
office.

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.

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.

In the mid-nineties, Swank continued paying her dues in TV movies like
Victim of Rage (1995) and Terror in the Family (1996, pictured above)
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.

In 1996, Swank appeared in the direct-to-video horror sequel,
Sometimes They Come Back Again.

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

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.

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.

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”.

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.

Sorry about Roberto Benigni. If only Billy Crystal had been better
with that over-sized net.

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.

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. Audiences
missed the movie entirely.

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.

Insomnia got good reviews and was a hit at the box office. But
Williams and Pacino were the stars. Swank was merely a supporting
player.

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

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 earth. Or something. The science in The Core was
so laughably inaccurate that n a poll of hundreds of scientists about
bad science fiction films, The Core was voted the worst.

The Core received mixed reviews. Many critics who liked it claimed it
was intentionally bad to the point of being campy fun. But to the
delight of many scientists, The Core flopped at the box office.

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 cast included Rachael Leigh Cook, Henry Thomas, Barbara
Hershey and Patrick Swayze.

11:14 received positive reviews and currently has a 100% approval
rating on Rotten Tomatoes. But have you ever heard of it?

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.

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.

I saw Million Dollar Baby a few weeks after losing a family member.
Based on the film’s marketing material, I was expecting a typical
boxing movie. Something like Rocky. I was hoping for something
uplifting. If you have seen the movie, you know how that turned out.
When the twist came about and the movie changed tones, I was
devastated. I honestly don’t remember much about the movie from that
point on. It’s well-crafted, but I can’t ever sit through it again.
Under the best of circumstances, it will leave you feeling raw.
Unfortunately, I did not see it under the best of circumstances.

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.

When Sean Penn apologizes for his “compromised sense of humor”, you
know nothing good will follow.

After a year like that, there was nowhere for Swank to go but down.
And down she went.

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

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 filled with Hollywood stars.
When Fincher dropped out of the project, De Palma stepped in. De
Palma’s cast included Josh Hartnett, Scarlett Johansson and Swank’s
The Core co-star, Aaron Eckhart.

The movie received negative reviews and disappointed at the box
office. Has anyone seen Josh Hartnett since?

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 and the movie performed moderately well
at the box office.

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 and disappointing box office.

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

Swank 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.

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. Eventually, it did
turn a profit in the US. It performed better overseas which is
probably the secret to Butler’s success as a romantic lead.

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

Swank was an executive producer on Amelia which was clearly intended
as Oscar bait.

Unfortunately, the execution fell short. Reviews were negative and
the movie flopped at the box office.

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. Reviews were generally positive,
but the movie received a small release and was barely noticed by
audiences.

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

Swank played an emergency room surgeon who dates her landlord only to
realize that he has been stalking her. Reviews were negative and the
movie was released direct-to-video.

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.

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.

So, what the hell happened?

First, a disclaimer. Swank is still working. In 2013, she starred in
the HBO movie, Mary and Martha which was well-received. She has two
more movies scheduled for release later this year. At any time, she
could hit a home run and win another Oscar.

But for now, there is no denying that the two-time Oscar winner has
been on a losing streak. Her prestige pictures haven’t panned out.
And her attempts to break into horror and romantic comedies have not
met with success.

Part of the problem is that Swank does not have the traditional movie
star look. She is a beautiful woman, but in Hollywood that doesn’t
count for much. Swank is frequently 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.

Also, despite her awards, it could be argued that Swank has never been
a box office draw. Boys Don’t Cry was very successful within the art
house circles. But it was far from a mainstream hit. Million Dollar
Baby was a big, breakout movie. But its success can be largely
credited to Eastwood and Freeman who are more established box office
draws.

That’s not to take anything away from Swank who is clearly a talented
actress. While she is likely to continue working and may even repeat
her Oscar success again at some point, she was never going to be a big
box office star.