Hilary Swank has and says that revelation might explain some of her actions on set of her new ABC series 鈥� .鈥�
鈥淵ou don鈥檛 tell for 12 weeks for a certain reason. But then, like, you鈥檙e growing and you鈥檙e using the bathroom a lot and you鈥檙e eating a lot. I鈥檓 sure there鈥檚 been conversations, and when I get back to the set, people will be like, 鈥極h, it all makes sense now,' during press interviews in New York.
鈥淭here was a moment just last week when my pants didn鈥檛 fit anymore and I had to like cut ... my pants and then I put a jacket on over it like I had to hide it, right? And the continuity (person) was like, 鈥楾hat doesn鈥檛 match鈥� (a previous take.) And I鈥檓 like, 鈥極h, you know, it鈥檚 OK, it鈥檒l work.鈥� And they鈥檙e like, 鈥楴o, it doesn鈥檛 match.鈥� And I鈥檓 like, 鈥極h, I think it鈥檚 OK.鈥� I think we can make it work.鈥� And she鈥檚 like, 鈥榃ell, you鈥檙e an executive producer, so you can do what you want, but that doesn鈥檛 work.鈥� I was like, 鈥極h my gosh, I have to be able to tell people soon,'" she said, laughing.
Swank, 48, just finished filming the fifth episode of the series, which debuts Thursday on ABC and says she looks forward to "seeing how much my body鈥檚 changed. It'll be interesting to see.鈥�
鈥淎laska Daily鈥� is created by and co-executive produced by Tom McCarthy ("Spotlight", 鈥淪tillwater鈥�) who also wrote and directed the first episode. It follows named Eileen who gets lured to Alaska by a former colleague to look into an ongoing case of murdered Indigenous women.
The story is based on a real decades-old problem of missing and murdered native Alaskan women and Swank hopes the show might put a spotlight on these cases.
鈥淎t this moment, it鈥檚 happening and nothing鈥檚 being done about it. So as we continue down this road, hopefully shining a bright light on this ... we can hopefully down the line start saying, 鈥楲ook, something鈥檚 being done now.鈥�"
Swank's character is a seasoned reporter who arrives in Anchorage confident in her abilities, even if the locals are skeptical of this newcomer.
鈥淪he has done it for a long time. She doesn鈥檛 suffer fools. She calls out B.S. when she sees it. She just speaks her mind," Swank said. "A lot of people call her rude, yet if she were a man, no one would call her rude. ... Probably five years ago there wouldn鈥檛 be a female character like this on television. So it鈥檚 nice to be stepping into these new waters and to have that opportunity to do that," said Swank.
Filming a TV show requires long hours, which makes this expectant mother respectful of those who work while pregnant.
鈥淚鈥檝e never been pregnant before and being able to now have a deeper understanding of what women have gone through for so long, the naseousness and the exhaustion, and especially in the first trimester," Swank said.
"We work 15 hour days and a TV series is like a marathon, so some day are six day weeks and we have 30 minute lunches. And look, I鈥檓 not complaining because I love my job, but when you ask, like, 鈥榃hat is it like to be pregnant during that?鈥� It鈥檚 definitely a different set of circumstances.鈥�
Alicia Rancilio, The Associated Press
