Hilary Swank

Hilary Swank posing for the camera

Hilary Swank, to me, is a hero. She shows that if you have a dream you can follow it and try hard to make it happen. She worked very hard to follow what she wanted to do even though the odds were high that it wouldn't work out. She had great determination. She also has a lot of talent. She wanted this so badly that she had to sleep in a car for many nights as she and her mother went to L.A. with $75 only and no jobs.

Oscar from Million Dollar Baby

The definition of a "hero" is (as shown above) "an object of extreme admiration and devotion." I admire Hilary Swank because she is a role model that shows that hard work and devotion will lead to greatness. I also admire Hilary Swank because she is beautiful and works hard for this beauty. She worked very hard to train herself for the movie Million Dollar Baby. She got into shape so she could look like a boxer. She did this so that she could make a enjoyable movie for others to see. She said at the Oscars in her acceptance speech that she loves her job. She said, "Who could have such a great job as pretending to be someone else and providing enjoyment for other people?" I admire her thoughts on this.

Another definition of a hero is: "someone noted for accomplishments in a particular field." This is another place that Hilary Swank comes into play. She has won two Academy Awards (a.k.a. the Oscars). This is important because she worked very hard to do this. Her first Academy Award was for Boys Don't Cry in 1999. The second was five years later in 2004 for Million Dollar Baby.

An Oscar for Boys Don't Cry

Hilary Swank was phenomenal in the movie Boys Don’t Cry. Not only was she phenomenal but she brought emphasis to the struggles of the cross-gender person. She played a character that thought she was a man stuck in a woman’s body. She took on this movie because she thought that it should be a wider- known subject. Also in Million Dollar Baby she brought out discussion about the important matter of assisted-suicide. Million Dollar Baby meant a lot to her as the struggles of Maggie paralleled her own struggles rising from poverty to follow her dream. It is important that she also took that on although it, and Boys Don't Cry, could both have been career-killers. They are both also true stories.

So in conclusion, to me, Hilary Swank is a very important actress. She is my role model. When I grow up I want to become an actress and this shows me that I can if I work at it. I think that she fits the requirements for a hero. She may not be anyone else's hero but she is mine and I wager to guess that I am not alone.