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Hilary Swank Discusses 'P.S. I Love You'

Actress Delights at Local Q&A with Janet Maslin

By Rich MonettiPublished 5 years ago 3 min read
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Poster Warner Bros. Pictures

A few years ago, Hilary Swank appeared at Jacob Burn Film Center with PS I Love You. Here's a look back at the evening.

On Monday, December 17, at Jacob Burns Film Center in Pleasantville, Hilary Swank appeared as part of the center's annual Silverstar fundraiser. Showcasing her most recent film, P.S. I Love You, Swank rolled in a little late to the nervousness of the audience and the program's organizers. Nonetheless, she played off the delay and let everyone easily settle into the shoes of a busy actress playing double time as promoter. "There was a lot of traffic on that little Saw Mill highway," Swank deflected and brought the audience back to a festive mood.

From there, the Academy Award winning actress relieved whatever angst that remained by revealing a typical day. ”I go to sleep and wake up in a new country," she joked.

Her upcoming flight to Ireland afterwards said as much and gave new meaning to the term air mattress. Even so, Swank takes the strains of a life she loves in stride—even when promotion goes transatlantic. She just goes back to her childhood dreams whenever jet set meets jet lag.

PS, a Change of Pace

This movie involves several time zones and an ocean, because the film is based on a novel written by the daughter of the Irish Prime Minister, Bertie Ahern. It also comes with a welcome change of pace for Swank in a role that some might think better equipped for Julia Roberts.

“Good romantic comedies are hard to find, Swank said. "So I don't really come to mind. I mean I've played a boxer and a boy."

But, P.S. I Love You definitely contains an element of sadness throughout that cannot be escaped before it ultimately uplifts. An aspect appealed to her. "There's something about laughing through your tears,” said Swank.

RomCom with a Twist

It starts out as the typical marriage going through growing pains—at least in terms of Holly. Trying to find her identity, the female lead can't find meaning within the relationship until she decides on a career. From that, the uncertain wife hopes children and a bigger apartment will make the difference she is looking for.

Conversely, Gerry (Gerard Butler) is content to live in his music and wait for life to happen to him. Playing back and forth, it appears the argument is an old one that follows no rational course. But of course, he's able to elevate Holly above her fears and set things right through another crisis.

Then, with only one scene completed and the opening credits just finished, we find out that Gerry has died of a brain tumor. But the loving husband is definitely not forgotten.

After the funeral, a birthday cake with a recorded message arrives from Gerry and details his dying plan to help Holly transition to a new life and someday a new love.

The recorded messages keep coming and work with heart-warming effect. Unfortunately, the string of messages keeps Holly holding on and confines her to a life that no longer exists.

Around the grieving and giddy widow, her friends are moving on, while the character played by Harry Connick Jr. awaits her in this life. The story moves in and out of the present and ends in a twist that doesn't follow the traditional formula.

Living Her Dream

This uplift aside, how does Swank know she has found a script that works for her? Difficult to explain, she said, "It's just something that I feel."

And what she once felt was the pain of being an outsider. Coming from a financially disadvantaged upbringing, she experienced classism but not from her peers. "Parents didn't want me playing with their kids," she lamented.

Of course, the slight never passed. So Swank has continued to seek out stories that focus on the outsider. Two Oscars later, it seems that only the successes remain. "I'm living my dream," she said, and playing Amelia Earhart is next.

A revelation that delighted the audience and Maslin. "You're the one actress who could play that toughness and still be so beautiful," said the film critic.

In response, Swank only exhibited a shy graciousness and described a screenplay at which a great love story is at its center. "She was a great role model but very human," said Swank.

Something that gets lost in the shuffle when it comes to being a celebrity today. "I'm an actor not a celebrity, so I try to be surround myself with people who care and let all that tabloid stuff slide off my back," she concluded.

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Author can be reached at [email protected]

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About the Creator

Rich Monetti

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