Whether you know her or just feel like you know her from her work on the big and little screen, talking to Hilary Swank is always like chatting with an old friend.  She’s funny, and kind to the core.  She’s well-spoken and talented, with a 22-inch waist to boot.  She’d be easy to hate, or at least be leery of, but once you meet her, you see there’s no chance of that ever happening.  Hilary packs no surprise punches; she’s just like you think she’d be.  Even after Academy Awards, Golden Globes, billboards  on Sunset Boulevard, and every validation and critical accolade, she remains grounded and grateful.  She was first honored by the Academy in 2000 for her portrayal of a transgender murder victim in the movie “Boys Don’t Cry.”  The recognition now is for her turn as a boxer with strong hands and heart in “Million Dollar Baby.”  Hilary is happily married, since 1997, to actor/director Chad Lowe.  They’ve been together since she was an 18-year-old newcomer to Hollywood, with not a dollar in her bank account.  Hilary still hangs out with her old pals, and manages to find time for her new ones.  As we talk, “Hil the Thrill” (as Clint calls her) has just come in from a luncheon thrown by the west coast editor of Vanity Fair magazine.  It was a fete in her honor.  But, being the humble woman she is, she won’t say a word unless I ask.

Dina: How was the luncheon (thrown by Krista Smith)?

Hilary: “It was so nice!  Some incredible women were there.  She (Krista) thought is would be great for me to meet some of her closest friends, and brought this great group together.  I love to be around women, and it is so important for women to be supportive of one another.”

Dina: Any “pinch myself” moments at this outing?

Hilary: “I have them so many times a day, I think I’m turning black and blue.  I’m serious, too.”

Dina: When you were a little girl, and life wasn’t this “glamorous”, what did art mean to you?  Were you exposed to it?

Hilary: “There was, unfortunately, not any art.  No paintings, no sculpture.  I think I remember going to one museum, at the age of seven, on a field trip.  Music and art was not something that was talked about.  What I found was books.  They gave me the outlet in which to explore different worlds.  The bookmobile would come once a month, and I remember it parking in the trailer park where I lived, and spending as much time in there as I could until they left.”

Dina: Is it worrisome that your personal story, hardships and all, is getting too much column space lately?

Hilary:  “No.  I think before it was, ‘Where did I come from?  Who is this person, what’s your background?’ – more about preparation for (her Academy Award-winning performance in) “Boys Don’t Cry,” gender issues.  The questions were more about people taking in the issue of a straight woman playing a gay person.  I think it showed how far we’ve come as people.  But the questions now, they’re not getting old.  In talking about it all, I am just reconnected with the past, and the dream I had, and now I’m just living it.  I am constantly reminded of how lucky I am, how far I’ve come, and how much luck is involved.”

Dina:  What is your favorite medium now?

Hilary:  “Film”.

Dina: Do you participate in any other type of art?

Hilary: “I knit.  I love to knit.  I am so excited to learn crewel, which is a form of embroidery.  I wish I could paint, and play an instrument.”

Dina:  Any favorite painters?

Hilary: “Painters?  It changes with my mood.  I would say recently I have been into the painter (Edward) Ruscha.  I have found that with his works, with sayings and words on them, maybe three words, the interpretation is so different for each person.”

Dina:  You live in New York City.  Do you actually go to museums and galleries?

Hilary:  “When I lived in Los Angeles and would visit New York, my trips were so full of visiting museums and the theater, exploring the richness of that.  And now that I live there, I take it for granted.  I have to change that.”

Dina: Your incredible film, “Million Dollar Baby,” had such a handcrafted feel to it:  no effects, car crashes, guns or sex.  And Clint considers you to be “America’s finest young actress.”  What were some of your surprises in working on that film, that set?

Hilary:  “I love Clint.  Everything you hear about him is true.  I had such high expectations because he’s Clint Eastwood and he’s been making movies longer than I’ve been alive.  I have such an enormous amount of respect for his talent.  I heard from Laura Linney and Kevin Bacon and people who’ve worked with him, ‘Wait ’til you work with him. It’s the best experience you’ll ever have in your career.’  That’s some high expectations.  And I think when we make expectations, usually things can’t live up to it just because our imaginations are really powerful.  And he exceeded it and then some.  The man is an anomaly.  There’ll never be another Clint Eastwood.  He is obviously multifaceted.  His talent runs the gamut and he creates an environment in which everyone feels comfortable.  And in his own words, he says he gets people he feels are right for the job and he lets them do it.  He’s the most amazing collaborator.  When it’s all said and done and you watch the movie, his fingerprints are all over it.  And you didn’t even realize the gentle guidance and color that was happening in every moment because he’s so subtle and so simple.”

Dina:  Can you tell me the difference between receiving critical acclaim as a relative unknown, and getting it as an established actress, a movie star?

Hilary:  “I think no matter how much success you have, you can never rest on your laurels.  You have to keep finding things to challenge yourself in different ways, and not worry how people will react to that.  After “Boys Don’t Cry,” I remember the expectation of ‘Where do you go from here?’ and that I couldn’t make any mistakes.  But there is no way to be perfect.  I went back to why I was even acting in the first place, and honored that, and reconfirmed that I am not doing it to be famous.  That hasn’t changed, through the ups and downs of my career.  I just try to do my best with the given circumstance, and not allow the opinions of people to define me.”

Dina:  Any downside to all the hype that has surrounded you this time around?

Hilary:  “Everything kind of becomes a hyper-exaggeration of life; more gifts than you could ever receive, more calls, more e-mails.  I think it becomes unhealthy to talk about yourself so much!  It’s a surreal feeling.  When success happens, people come out of the woodwork as long-lost friends.  You need to keep people around you who keep you grounded and remind you of what’s important.”

Dina:  What IS important?

Hilary: “I think it’s family and friends, and helping and respecting other people.”

Dina: When the kids come, and hobbies simply don’t fit into your schedule, how will you keep your creative juices flowing?

Hilary: “I think this business affords us the opportunity to work maybe one film a year, and then be able to be a mom.  I think to be able to watch a child, and see life through their eyes, kind of reconnects you to what is inspiring.  It’ll be a whole reinvention of what is inspiring.”

Dina: Not to start any rumors that you are thinking about this right now, right?

Hilary:  “RIGHT.  It’s not far off, but I’m not trying.”

Dina: What do you like to talk about the most that doesn’t get asked enough?

Hilary:  “How I really want to learn to play the piano.  Piano music takes me to a place in my soul that moves me so profoundly, and I am looking so forward to learning.”

Dina: Finish this sentence: “I’ll scream if one more person says…”

Hilary:  “‘Is your hair really this long, or is it extensions?’ or ‘Are you ever gonna play a PRETTY girl?’”