Hilary Swank is living her dream

 

Swank

 

“Want a tip? Don’t let anyone turn you around.”

Those are wise words the legendary aviatrix Amelia Earhart — the first women to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean — gives an eager young female pilot in the new biopic, “Amelia.” And it is something that Hilary Swank, who plays the icon, knows well.

“I had one teacher say, ‘When are you going to give up your hobby?’ remembers the 35-year-old.

“But you have to stay the course. Sometimes it’s constructive criticism. The other stuff is unhealthy.

So you have to put them in different files — the throw-away file and the one that you let sit.”

That’s more sage advice we’ll take from Swank, who grew up in a trailer park — not a typical precursor to the Hollywood life. Still, the actress has managed to win two Oscars for her performances in “Boys Don’t Cry” and “Million Dollar Baby,” and is the kind of dedicated star — it took Swank eight weeks to nail Earhart’s peculiar accent — that critics are predicting could now take home a third.

“I’m as passionate about living my dream of being an actor as Amelia was in being a flyer,” says Swank.

Strong words, considering Earhart died chasing her dream. But making a risky yet passionate decision is one Swank understands: “Amelia was living her life on her own terms,” she says. “If you’re going to die, you might as well die doing what you love instead of living a life dreaming about doing what you want to do and never doing it.”