Credit: Far Out / Alamy

The one director Hilary Swank said she’d work with “for the rest of my life”

Tue 9 June 2026 5:00, UK

Making your debut in Buffy the Vampire Slayer is nothing to sniff at, unless it’s the weird 1992 film, just ask Hilary Swank.

Her first movie role was as one of the title character’s friends in the ill-fated film that spawned Joss Whedon’s iconic series, but over the next few years, she was able to put that debacle behind her and quickly become one of the most in-demand and celebrated actors of her generation, starting with 2004’s sleeper hit, Million Dollar Baby, which follows her character, Margaret ‘Maggie’ Fitzgerald, on her journey to becoming a champion boxer.

The film cleaned up at the Oscars, winning ‘Best Picture’, ‘Best Supporting Actor’ for Morgan Freeman, and a second ‘Best Actress’ prize for Swank, but another winner that night was Clint Eastwood, who not only starred as Maggie’s grouchy old trainer, but he also produced, scored, and directed the film.

He might have lost out to Jamie Foxx in the ‘Best Actor’ category, but he did leave the ceremony with the coveted ‘Best Director’ gong, the second of his career.

In an interview with legendary film critic Roger Ebert, who was a big fan of Million Dollar Baby, Swank spoke very highly of the legendary actor-turned-filmmaker.

“I would work for the rest of my life with Clint, if I could,” she said, “His belief in you makes you believe in yourself, which makes you follow your instincts. Then you watch the finished film, and you realise, his fingerprints are all over it. You were being guided so subtly and simply, you never felt like anything was being forced on you. You felt like everything was your idea. It was the best experience I’ve had in my career so far.”

Eastwood had to work incredibly hard to get Million Dollar Baby off the ground. He picked up Paul Haggis’ script, thinking that his name would help get it made, but it still languished in development hell for years. Even when he finally got the backing of Lakeshore Entertainment and Warner Bros, it appeared as if he’d made a mistake in casting Swank. Her diminutive frame didn’t seem suitable for playing a boxer, but Eastwood knew that she was the right woman for the job.

With the help of trainer Grant L Roberts, Swank trained for five hours a day to get into fighting shape. She put on 19lbs of muscle for the role and even contracted a life-threatening staphylococcal infection that she didn’t even tell Eastwood about.

While I wouldn’t recommend hiding a potentially lethal infection from your employer, this goes to show just how strong a motivator Eastwood can be. Swank was literally willing to die for her director, and she was rewarded greatly for her efforts, while for Eastwood, his faith in his leading lady paid off and then some.