Hilary Swank kept her latest pregnancy private while continuing to work. The actress says she was on set until about 17 weeks pregnant, with the people around her unaware she was expecting.
The 52-year-old Oscar winner explained how she managed it during the October 22 episode of Danielle Robay’s Question Everything podcast, in comments reported by Entertainment Weekly.
Swank and her husband, Philip Schneider, announced on October 14 that they are expecting their third child. Their family video pointed to a December arrival.
The couple, who married in 2018, already has 3-year-old twins, daughter Aya and son Ohm. Swank was 48 when she welcomed them in April 2023.
Hilary Swank Credits Her Small Town for Keeping Her Pregnancy Private
Swank credited the residents of the small town where she lives and grew up. “Everyone there has been so just respectful of my privacy and it hasn’t leaked,” she told Robay. She described herself as a private person who hadn’t felt a reason to announce the news earlier.
While expecting the twins, Swank was filming the ABC drama Alaska Daily and had to get inventive with her wardrobe.
“I was cutting my pants open in the back because they weren’t fitting me anymore,” she told Extra in October 2022. When colleagues questioned how the outfit looked, she suggested that her journalist character could wear her shirt hanging out.
A Glow-Stick Reveal and an Unexpected Reaction From Aya
The family announcement showed Swank, Schneider and the twins dancing in the dark with glow sticks outlining their bodies. Swank revealed a much smaller glowing figure over her stomach, while the caption presented the baby as her next project, complete with a release month.
At home, her daughter’s response surprised her. During the podcast, Swank described Aya as a child more inclined to growl than offer a sentimental reaction. But when she learned about the pregnancy, she responded, “Aw, in there?” according to Us Weekly.
Both children were eager for their sibling to arrive. Swank said that whenever she left the house and returned, they wanted to know whether the baby was here yet.
Hilary Swank Responds to Criticism About Becoming a Mother at 52
During her October 20 appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show, Swank discussed the criticism women receive for having children later in life. She questioned why older fathers don’t face the same scrutiny.
“This was the right time for me,” she told Barrymore. She explained that pregnancy doesn’t necessarily follow the timetable someone imagines for their life.
After decades devoted to acting, she now feels able to give her children her attention. She also rejected the suggestion that a loving parent-child relationship should be judged only by how many years it might last, saying she would rather experience that bond than never have it.
Swank Also Backed a New Diaper Disclosure Law
A diaper bill she supported had passed, and Swank wanted to show up publicly, she told Robay in remarks quoted by PEOPLE.
Swank is chief innovation officer at baby-products company HealthyBaby, which says she advocated for California’s AB 1901 alongside the Environmental Working Group and other supporters.
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the measure on September 28. It will require manufacturers to disclose intentionally added ingredients in children’s diapers sold in California. According to HealthyBaby’s announcement, online disclosures begin January 1, 2029, with packaging disclosures following on July 1.