Hollywood actor Hilary Swank had spent a few weeks in India in 2006 as a teaching assistant and caregiver at an orphanage in Palampur, Himachal Pradesh. And the Hollywood star has revealed that the incredible experience not just touched her then, but has remained with her through the years.
“I was going through a challenging time in my life and it felt like I just needed to get outside of myself and be reminded that there are other people struggling too. So, I went to India for five weeks. I worked with children in orphanages and schools,” she said in a recent TV interview, and added, “It was one of the most incredible experiences and I am still to this day, really touched.”
Her India experience, as well as her work in films, has taught her much about life, the 38-year-old shares. “I’ve learned many things. I think one is that I continually learn that I need to be less judgmental. I think I’m not. But, I’m constantly reminded to be more open-minded and that there’s so much more that I want to learn about — I know we keep coming back to this — about different ways of looking at life,” she said.
Hilary still gets cold feet on set
Her power-packed performances have got her two Oscars, but actor Hilary Swank still gets the jitters when she goes on a new film’s set.
“Butterflies. Always. I don’t sleep the night before. It’s like the first day of school. That’s the only thing I can compare it to. And you hope that you’re going to get along with everybody,” the 38-year-old recently said in an interview to CNN’s Talk Asia.
Asked if being tough helps in the world of Hollywood, she said, “No. As an actor, you have to wear your heart on your sleeve and you have to be very open. You can’t ever be closed off or you cut yourself off from the very emotion you need to play characters.”
Swank will be next seen in a movie with Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones, and another film called Race to Save Nome.