Hilary Swank

Actress Hilary Swank talks new ABC show 'Alaska Daily' and more!

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
You're on with Mario Lopez and Mario Lopez and joining
me now on Zoom. Two time Oscar winning actress Hillary Swank.
Welcome to the show. Hillary. How are you? Thank you?
I'm good. I'm really well. Thanks. I so appreciate you
taking the time. It's funny because prior to just starting,
we both shared that we're not big computer people, and

(00:21):
I thought I was in the minority. I feel so
much better. Not only are we not big computer people,
I don't own one, and I think you don't even
own neither, do I. Yes, I'm so. I'm so. I'm
relieved and happy to be able to say that out loud.
People think I'm crazy. I kind of used my phone
for all things text, email and what have you. And
are we just archaic old school? What's going on? How

(00:41):
do we justify this? I would say we have a
priority street. That's what I'm going with. I'm gonna go
with that. I'm gonna go with that. That's awesome to hear.
I'm gonna spend too much time on my phone, and
I will admit you and I both were I'm we're
the same person. It seems like, um, first off, excuse me,
I should have started off with congratulations on the announcement.
You're expecting twins. That is awesome. How are you feeling.

(01:03):
I'm feeling better now. I definitely had some morning sickness
the first bit, but I think it's starting to uh
the wayne. So it's it's working fifteen hour days on
a TV show helps keep your mind off being sick,
but uh, you know, it's it's definitely growing too. Babies

(01:27):
is a lot of work and it's awesome, but it's
a lot of work on top of other work apps.
So no, that is a superwoman status right there. You
need to keep in an s on your chest. Um
do you know the sex as yet? Are you waiting
to find out? We're not going to find out. We
are the same. I waited for all my kids you have,

(01:47):
I have three in each one. I waited. Uh, we
waited until you know the day arrived. It's the best,
right it is. I actually have a follow up today
and apparently at this point we're going to be able
we would be able to see their gender and yeah,
we don't want to know. I think it's the best.
I think it's amazing to be able to have that surprise,

(02:07):
and um, you know yeah, I'm so with you. Well,
look at this, I'm two minutes in. We realized we
have so much right now, I don't want to know.
But do you have names picked out already or are
you gonna wait later on? Yes, we have names picked out.
Got it? Got it have two boy names and two
girl names. Yeah, exactly, because you can it can be

(02:28):
can go either way. That's exactly. Well, that's exciting, that's awesome.
Um And, speaking of your other work, new show recently
premiered on ABC Alaska Daily. I love Alaska. I've been there. Um,
actually quite a few times. It's beautiful. What what what
is this all about? For those now familiar? Um, well,
we are a show. Um, I play a show about

(02:48):
investigative reporters. And um I play Eileen Fitzgerald from New
York City who he you know, finds herself kind of
in getting a little trouble in New York City and
uh and I mean, if that's what you want to
call it, uh and uh and finds herself in Alaska.

(03:10):
An editor asks for her. An old editor that she
worked with asked her to come up to Alaska and
help find um these missing women, which, by the way,
these missing Indigenous women, which is happening as we speak.
I mean, women are going missing all the time and
they're murdered and no one does anything about it. So
it's a systemic problem that it means a lot to me.

(03:30):
And so when Tom and I talked about the script
and he brought it to me, I was on board
immediately because of Tom and because of that, do you
actually get the opportunity to film in Alaska? Yeah, we
did film all the exteriors in Alaska, UM and we
go up to the Northern Territories to do a lot
of the other exteriors and it's it's beautiful. I mean,

(03:55):
Alaska is not what I thought though, Was it what
you thought it was going to be? Like? It's it
really is, Gore. I think when I was there, it's
been the summer, and I remember being outside and it
was like nine thirty and it was still very bright,
and that's what but I thought. I mean, I grew
up in Washington State, and so I thought it was
going to be like Washington kind of like but on steroids,
like like Grereen and Story Go Lord. But then it

(04:18):
actually is really like the tundra. It looks like a
different planet. It's a really interesting topography. Um. And it
was on our bucket list. It was on my husband's
bucket list to go, so we went for his his
last birthday. It was a week before we started filming.
So I've been in Alaska a lot this past year.
I bet, I bet you know, geographically, it's just incredible. Um.

(04:41):
I read one review and it said the show brings
edgier streaming fare to network TV. Would you agree with
that description? Yeah, yeah, And I think that that's what
they were set out setting out to do, you know, ABC.
When Tom and I met, he was like, I want
to do this on ABC. They really want to be
in that. They want to be in that world. They
want to make things that are you know, that that

(05:03):
match what we're seeing on streaming. And so I was like, great,
that's awesome. I mean, there's such there's so many wonderful
things out there. There's a lot of content, and so
to be uh, to be on network television, but to
be telling you know more streaming like content is great
because it's just a great place to be. I mean,

(05:24):
we're on Hulu too, but it's uh, you know, they
have their kind of there. They're built an audience. They're
so loyal. Yeah, no, it's awesome to see. Um, local
newspapers are are frequently shrinking and seem to be going under.
Does this show give you a new appreciation for that industry? Now? Yeah? Absolutely?
I mean it's the thing is is what you realize

(05:44):
I was talking about how you know fast there's like
fast news like fast fashion. Now you know, you get
snippets off of Instagram or um, you know, and you
think you have have a whole story and you just
make an opinion about it instead of being really edified
and really learning about what's going on, not just worldwide,
but yes, in your local town. It's vital and it's

(06:06):
it's it's uh, it's definitely something that. Um, it's nice
to be talking about in a show. You know the
importance of something like that. I'm still an old school guy.
I guess the l A Times reads it. I like
having something tangible in my hands to me do I
like to read books with them in my hands. I
don't want to be leading on a computer. See, we'd

(06:27):
be friends. Also in the works film called Ordinary Angels,
what can you tell us about that? Yeah? Ordinary Angels
is well, my dad got a lung transplant. So I'm
very close to the world and the importance of Oregon
transplants and how it saves lives and um so, um

(06:48):
my dad is he was one of my favorite people
in the whole world. And um so watching him go
through that and a lung transplants one of the hardest
things you can really undergo. It's it's a it's a
really um delicate organ so um when this script came
across to me, um, I just found it so beautiful.

(07:10):
Um this woman who didn't know this child that had
read about her, who needed a liver transplant, and she
didn't have very long to live, and um, she uh
went through so much to help this young girl. And
how both of their stories like, help both of them grow,
help the woman who my character, as well as the

(07:32):
young girl and their family. It's just a beautiful story.
It's a it's a it's a positive story. I think
it's more stories like that are needed out there, you know,
to show, especially when they're true, to show just human
resilience and the power of coming together and helping another
person that you don't know. And um, it would be
nice to see the world doing more of that or

(07:54):
sharing more of those stories. Absolutely. God, I wish I
knew the title of this documentary and the dactics line,
but there was there was this fight or a boxer,
long story short. He died very young and uh in
a in a car accident and his liver. They used
essentially all his organs, his lungs and it helped like
five people, five or six people, and this one guy

(08:16):
saved all these lives in the way they It was
just so much a beautiful doc I wish I remember,
but I think you'd you'd really enjoy, but it really is.
It's amazing. If you do remember it, please do share it.
I love things. I couldn't believe it. And then they
all connected. It was really cool. It was really cool.
This is I'm just like that, and to bring hope
back into the into the world of all the things

(08:37):
that we're seeing out there, which are you know, there's
a lot of darkness out there, so it's nice to
see the light when we can and to share that absolutely. Absolutely. Um.
I'm just curious on a personal note, because you were
in the fourth Karate Kid movie and the next Karate Kid,
would you ever consider making an appearance in Cobra Kai
That is the number one asked question, right after what

(08:57):
it's like to work with Clint Eastwood and uh and
I uh, I would Um, why was that your next question? No, No,
I happen to know Clintie's and I love Clintie's so
I know he's awesome. You're like, oh, dang you, I'm
buddies with Scott his son. I They've never asked me.

(09:18):
It's so crazy that I get asked that more than
almost anything I've never KNOWNE has ever asked. Oh, look
at that love that show. It's a great show. Have
you not had a chance to see it? I haven't,
but I just don't. I barely have time to do anything.
It's not a bad venge you ever get. It's like
one of the top shows on Netflix. I think it
is the top show, isn't it. Yeah? I think it is.

(09:40):
You're right, it's getting something to look forward to. There
you go. It's it's very well made. Well so nice
catching up with you. Thank you again for taking the time.
Congratulations on the babies and on the new show. Um
you can watch Alaska daily Thursdays on ABC. Thanks again, Hillary,
take care of all right. You stopped on with Areal

(10:00):
Lopez