How to Win an Oscar Like Hilary Swank

By eHow Careers & Work Editor

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With hard work and dedication, Hilary Swank propelled herself from modest beginnings to superstar status. Swank, the winner of two Best Actress Oscars, got her first big break in 1999, after years of starring in television productions and making short-lived guest appearances on hit shows. To win Academy Awards like Hilary Swank, you must have talent, a strong work ethic and the courage to take on risky, challenging roles.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Challenging

Step1

Get your start in television. Before Swank was an award-winning movie star, she made numerous appearances on TV shows like "Growing Pains" and "Beverly Hills 90210." She also starred in made-for-TV movies like "Dying to Belong" and "Terror in the Family."

Step2

Star in an independent film. Swank won her first Academy Award for playing Brandon Teena in "Boys Don't Cry." Produced, in part, by Killer Films and the Independent Film Channel, the low-budget, critically acclaimed movie put Swank on the map.

Step3

Challenge convention. Swank played a female-to-male transsexual in "Boys Don't Cry" and a female boxer in "Million Dollar Baby." She won Oscars for both roles, proving that it pays to step outside the box and defy traditional standards of femininity.

Step4

Love what you do. Hilary Swank is committed to her craft and prefers to receive recognition for her acting talents than for her beauty or wealth. For her starring role in "Boys Don't Cry," Swank earned only $3,000, proof that she's driven by more than financial gain.

Step5

Dedicate yourself fully to every role. Swank physically trained for "Million Dollar Baby" for over 3 months. Her regimen included a high protein diet rich in foods like eggs and flax oil, trained at legendary Gleason's boxing gym for several hours per day and dropped her body fat to just seven percent.

Step6

Choose roles that reflect your values. Hilary reads all scripts carefully and opts for roles that speak to her dedication to personal and political empowerment and social justice. Aside from her Oscar-winning blockbusters, Swank's films like "Iron Jawed Angels" and "Freedom Writers" carry a strong social message.

Step7

Persevere. A high school dropout who lived in a trailer park as a child, Hilary Swank has overcome numerous obstacles to success. One of the few constants in her life, her love of acting drove her to move to Los Angeles at age 16, with only $75 to her name.