Hilary Swank rings in the new year on the cover of Gotham magazine’s latest issue.
Here’s what the 37-year-old New Year’s Eve actress shared with Mariska Hargitay, who interviewed her:
On using fear as a motivator: “I go after the things the way that I do because I am scared,” she says. “I go gung-ho and dive in because it’s my way to be prepared, physically and mentally. My fear control mechanism is to be overly prepared.”
On always wanting to be an actor: “We all feel like an outsider at some point in life. It reminds me of the moment when I was a little girl and people said, “When are you going to give up your hobby, this is my life. Because when I was a little girl-not having a lot of friends, recognizing classism at a young age-my friends were the characters in books and movies.”
On her controversial visit to Chechnya and the backlash that came with it: “In this case, a Turkish real estate company invited me to help promote peace by celebrating the rebuilding of a war-torn city and meeting people who were rebuilding their lives. That’s how it was presented to me, and I thought, Absolutely, yes. When I was there, I was asked to wish the president a happy birthday, and I did. Shame on me for not having researched the trip more fully, but I didn’t know President Kadyrov’s record. Human rights organizations had tried to warn me, but those warnings weren’t shared with me. The things that have been written about me in the press are painful because they are totally contradictory to who I am. It’s on me for having gone, and I regret it. Believe me, I’m never again accepting an invitation before making sure I have all the information I need.”
For more from Hilary, visit Gotham-Magazine.com!
