At 50 years old, Hilary Swank is deep in the trenches as a parent, running around after energetic twin toddlers at an age when many women are feeling liberated about the idea of an empty nest. But the actress wouldn’t have it any other way because she carved out this exact life for herself with intention and contentment.
“Energy is flowing when you’re happy to be where you want to be, when you’re happy with where you are, because you made a choice to be there,” Swank told Women’s Health recently.
After giving almost three decades to Hollywood and with two Oscars to her name, it was time for Swank to start a new chapter a few years ago with her husband, Philip Schneider. She got pregnant at 47 with twins, daughter Aya and son Ohm, and the family of four – along with their five dogs – embraced the homely life, splitting their time between a mountain-side house in Colorado and a home with lake views in Washington.
“Nature is such a fundamental part of who I am,” she shared with Women’s Health. “I grew up in nature. For me, it’s in my DNA … I would not be the same person without it.”
The same could be said about keeping physically fit, which she admits “took a back seat” after the twins arrived. Swank says it’s “fundamental” for her mental wellbeing to be healthy and active, though her motivation is different since becoming a mother.
“I want to be strong now for my children. So my movement has become more incorporated into being, you know, the best mum that I can be, rather than, you know, for any other reason,” she explained.
Having frozen her eggs at 37, Swank would have had kids earlier if that was on the cards for her, she admits. Yet like most things in life, there is a silver lining to becoming a mother later than she anticipated – one being that time has equipped her with key parenting skills she may never have had in her younger years.
“I’m a very different parent than I would’ve been, even in my early forties,” Swank told Women’s Health. “I’m much more patient. I’m much more understanding. I am much more, I think, interested in a different way than I would’ve been. I’m really interested in their brains. I’m fascinated about what makes them tick.”
Perhaps even more beneficial for Swank in an era of stressed-out working mothers, the two-time Oscar winner has already proved herself in her career, meaning there’s less of the dreaded work-home juggle. “I have my career that’s already established, so I’m not divided,” she explained to Women’s Health. “I’m able to really sink in and be present with them and be a hands-on parent.”
Some would say the actress has managed to get the both of best worlds. Swank has recently been on screen in the third season of coming-of-age/survival story Yellowjackets, sharing scenes that were “so juicy and so loaded and full” with leading character Shauna, played by Melanie Lynskey.
Swank’s role – initially shrouded in secrecy until her appearance late in the season – is the adult version of Melissa, a fellow Yellowjackets team member lost in the wilderness, who also happened to have a fling with Shauna 25 years earlier.
She says the show’s creators only offered her the role two weeks before she had to start shooting, but it was a pretty quick yes. “What they shared with me was super intriguing and I said, ‘This sounds like a blast. I’m totally game,’” she told The Hollywood Reporter.
The unexpected role was proof that Swank still has the pick of projects in Tinseltown, 25 years on from winning her first Oscar for Boys Don’t Cry. “Most people might be like, ‘Aren’t you worried that you’re now 50 and there’s not a lot of jobs?’” Swank added to Women’s Health. “I’m like, ‘No, I have more offers now than I’ve ever had.’ It’s an incredibly exciting time.”
