Hilary Swank: Finding Purpose After Heartbreaking Loss

Life can throw curveballs, and for two-time Oscar winner Hilary Swank, one of the biggest challenges came in 2014. That year, she learned her father, Stephen, needed a life-saving lung transplant. At 49 years old, Hilary was at the peak of her career, but she made a decision that most people might find unimaginable—she stepped away from Hollywood to focus on her father’s health. “I know a lot of people were like, ‘How can you take that much time off your career? Aren’t you worried about…?’” she later shared. “I’d respond, ‘Worried about what? My only concern is my dad’s health.’”

Hilary was by her father’s side until his passing in late 2020. Since then, the Million Dollar Baby star has been rebuilding her career, taking on projects like the ABC drama Alaska Daily and Netflix’s Away. Her latest big-screen role in Ordinary Angels feels especially meaningful. In the film, she plays a woman who helps a widowed father secure a liver transplant for his daughter. The role, which came just months after her father’s passing, felt almost serendipitous. “Organ donation is a big deal to me,” Hilary told a reporter. “I think it would have been my dad’s favorite movie of mine.”

Challenges That Shaped Her

Choosing Family Over Fame

Though Hilary grew up in Bellingham, Washington, her journey to stardom wasn’t easy. She has no regrets about putting her career on hold to become her father’s health advocate. “I grew incredibly close to him during that time,” she reflected. “We deepened our relationship and cherished every moment together.”

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But their bond wasn’t always so strong. When Hilary was 15, her parents split, and she moved to Los Angeles with her mom, Judy, to chase her acting dreams. The early years were tough. They lived out of their car before they could afford an apartment. “It was nine years of relentless hustle,” Hilary recalled. “I’d audition five times a day, sometimes more.”

Even when she achieved critical acclaim—like winning an Oscar for her portrayal of Brandon Teena in 1999’s Boys Don’t Cry—financial stability didn’t always follow. Shockingly, she was paid only $3,000 for the film, leaving her without health insurance. “At that time, you had to make $5,000 a year to qualify for health insurance, and I didn’t,” she admitted to CBS. “I didn’t realize it until I tried to fill a prescription and they said, ‘That’ll be $260.’ I was like, ‘Oh, I guess I don’t need that prescription after all!’”

A New Chapter

Family and Miracles

Fast forward to today, and those struggles seem far behind. Despite her Hollywood hiatus, Hilary feels more secure than ever. After her 10-year marriage to Chad Lowe ended in 2007, she found love again with entrepreneur Philip Schneider, whom she married in 2018. Their wedding featured none other than Mariska Hargitay as maid of honor. “Philip has been an incredible support system, then and now,” an insider told Closer. “He’s there for Hilary whenever she needs him.”

In April 2023, the couple welcomed twins, daughter Aya and son Ohm, when Hilary was 48. While she’s joked about sleepless nights, the insider says she considers the babies her miracles. “She and Philip are very hands-on parents,” the source added. “They keep her grounded. For Hilary, family comes first.”

Now in a place where she can choose her roles carefully, Hilary looks back at her career with gratitude. “Growing up, ‘can’t’ was like a forbidden word in my house,” she explained. “So if achieving success in acting was a miracle, then yes, I believe in miracles.”