Undefeated Oscars champ Hilary Swank aims for No. 3 in 'Amelia'
It's shocking to think that all of the following stars are Oscarless — Glenn Close, Catherine Deneuve, Johnny Depp, Leonardo DiCaprio, Albert Finney, Julianne Moore, Peter O'Toole, Gena Rowlands, Donald Sutherland, Liv Ullmann — while Hilary Swank has two ("Boys Don't Cry," "Million Dollar Baby"). But Swank's Oscar success is even more striking when you recall that she — like another star often dismissed as lightweight, Sally Field — has never lost. Both gals have gone two for two.
Now Swank is going for a third chunk of academy gold in a film genre that often flies high in the race: biopics. She portrays doomed aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart in "Amelia," directed by Mira Nair ("The Namesake") and penned by Ronald Bass ("Rain Man," Oscar's best picture of 1988) and Anna Hamilton Phelan ("Girl, Interrupted"). Distributor is Oscars-savvy Fox Searchlight ("Slumdog Millionaire," "The Wrestler," "Juno," "Little Miss Sunshine"), which is giving "Amelia" an Oscars-friendly release date: Oct. 23. Hitfix just published a new photo still (above), which features Swank with Joe Anderson, who portrays Wilmer “Bill” Stultz — her copilot and navigator on a 1928 flight from Newfoundland to Wales.
Maybe all of this Oscar clout will help McGregor and Swank's other costars Ewan McGregor and Richard Gere land their first-ever Academy Award nominations. In "Amelia," McGregor portrays her lover Gene Vidal (Gore Vidal's poppa) and Gere portrays publisher George Putnam, whose marriage to Swank was a flop.
Photo: Fox Searchlight
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I cannot believe those people who say she was just lucky by winning 2 oscars. When did hard work became just luck? She might not be a good actress in every single movie she makes but who is? All actresses have put out films in which their acting is not great.
Posted by: Alex | October 13, 2009 at 07:45 PM
I was affected by Hilary Swank's Brandon Teena. I was in his life, I wanted him to live as he wanted to live and to have what he wanted to have. I was affected by Swank's Maggie Fitzgerald, I wanted her to go beyond her life circumstances to be as great as she could be. She died loving herself. You cannot really judge acting, you can only be affected by the performance; to the degree that you see the character as real, their life as real, and their experience as real. Swank has done that for me, and not only in the aforementioned roles. If she does it again in Amelia, I would vote for her to receive the honor of Best Actress for 2010. However, I might vote for other actresses whose performances affect me. No one actress is better than another, it's a matter of whether or not they did their job; told a character's story.
Posted by: Nina | September 06, 2009 at 03:52 PM
Hillary is a good actress, but not a great one. Oscars don't mean everything. Hillary is best at tomboy roles such as Amelia. Hillary has won two oscars for playing tomboys. It is pure luck. Meryl Streep and Cate Blanchett and Toni Collette can act rings around her.
Posted by: Gary | August 30, 2009 at 10:08 AM
Swank is incredable. She can capture this strong vulnerabilaty like no one else ive seen. (not to put down the other great actors ie streep, feilds) She earned her two oscars and i have no doubt she will knock this one out as well.
Posted by: jay | August 26, 2009 at 01:38 AM
Something just hit me: If Swank wins her 3rd Oscar for this role, it will be the third role for Swank, in which she wins her Oscars where her characters die in the movie plot. Strange.
Posted by: Aggie | August 17, 2009 at 04:13 PM
It's god's gift and he gifts only to a few.
Indian autos blog... One thing is gift (Like Kate Winslet and Cate Blanchett). Other thing is luck. Sorry but Hilary Swank is just a lucky average actress. Come'on she was awful in many films:
-"The Reaping"
-"P.S.: I love you"
-"The Black Dalhia"
-"The Affaire of the Necklare"...
I hope Meryl Streep or Carey Mulligan will win the Oscar...
Posted by: Xavi Rodriguez | August 17, 2009 at 12:43 PM
I think she's a great actress. It's god's gift and he gifts only to a few
Posted by: Indian Autos Blog | August 16, 2009 at 03:01 AM
no one is gonna ace out Meryl this year. take it to the bank.
Posted by: CK | August 15, 2009 at 08:33 PM
I don't think she is a great actress, she just had 2 great performances in two given years. She was deserving of her wins. Boys Don't Cry is among my top ten oscar winning performances by an actress.
Posted by: parker | August 15, 2009 at 02:01 PM
it's ridiculous she has two times the oscars as KATE freaking WINSLET.
Posted by: Robert | August 14, 2009 at 08:53 PM
think of a cinema's greatest actresses....
hillary swank won't even figure in people's lists. she's not that good.
hillary swank has been lucky. it's pure luck and nothing more that she got the oscar for both times that she was nominated.
that speaks a lot about those lazy and unthinking academy members.
if they give her a 3rd, they might as well self-destruct!
Posted by: alluhrey | August 13, 2009 at 09:33 PM