Hilary Swank: Acting On Hold To Be ‘Sole Caretaker’ For Ailing Dad, Says It’s A ‘True Honor’

Hilary Swank has pushed the pause button on her acting career while she cares for her ailing father, Stephen Swank.

Swank, an Oscar winner, could be up for daughter of the year as she divulged in an interview Thursday that she is the sole caretaker for her father as he recovers from a lung transplant. Swank was gracious in saying that caring for her father is a “true honor” and Swank has admitted that she has had to turn down some opportunities as he resides with her during his recovery.

“…if it wasn’t me taking care of him, I think I would always look back and regret that opportunity to be able to care of him and help him through this extraordinary time,” Swank told the HuffPost Live.

Swank had been doing a series of interviews in regard to her charity support of the USO’s Comfort Crew for Military Kids. Hilary’s passion for veterans and their families appears to have been influenced by her father’s own service to the country. Stephen Swank was a Chief Master Sergeant in the Oregon Air National Guard.

While Hilary Swank admits that she and her father weren’t close when she was younger, she stated that they’ve become increasingly close over the years and being his caretaker has given the Swanks a chance to become even closer, “The time we have now, might make up for some lost time that we didn’t have.” Swank’s reflection might bring solace to the increasing number of adults that are left to care for their aging parents.

Hilary Swank is a two-time Oscar winner for the films Boys Don’t Cry and Million Dollar Baby. Well known for her dramatic acting skills, some Hilary Swank fans would be surprised to know she actually got her start as a guest on several sitcoms including Evening Shade and Growing Pains. Fans of the Karate Kid movies will also remember Swank starring opposite Pat Morita in The Next Karate Kid.

Ironically, it might have been Swank’s 2011 role in Garry Marshall’s New Years Eve that has prepared Hilary for her new life role as the caretaker daughter. In that film, Swank rushes across New York City trying to reach her dying father (played by Robert Deniro) before the Time’s Square ball drops in order to share one last memory with him.

And while she cares for her father in real life, Hilary Swank’s fans can look forward to her new project The One Percent getting out of pre-production and airing this upcoming television season.