Hillary Swanks Talks Caring For Ailing Dad, Putting Film Career On Hold

Hillary Swank has recently taken a step back from her acting career to give her undivided attention to her father.

Hillary Swank Taking Car Of Father

Swank, leading up to Independence Day, has been advocating for USO’s Comfort Crew for Military Kids, an organization that is dear to her heart as she too was a military kid. Her father, Stephen Swank, served as Chief Master Sergeant in the Oregon Air National Guard and was often away. Now, Swank is spending ample time with him, as she’s decided to put her acting career on hold to nurse him back to health following a lung transplant.

“My dad is living with me. I’m his sole caretaker right now,” Swank told HuffPost Live. “It’s a certain amount of time [to serve as a caretaker], but in a lifespan it’s a blink of an eye. There’s been job opportunities I’ve passed on, and things that I said ‘I can’t,’ but really what we’re here for is our family.”

While growing up, Swank would go months without seeing her father, she told People. Especially in a time before cellphones and texting, Skype and FaceTime, it was a lot more difficult to build and keep a strong connection. Living under the same roof these days, Swank says that she and her father are closer than they’ve ever been.

“We’re super close. The bond that we’ve made in this time, might make up for some of that time we didn’t have,” Swank told HuffPost. “We didn’t have that one-on-one time together. It’s actually kind of healing.”

“He’s good-natured and giving. He has a great sense of humor. It’s easy to be with my dad,” Swank added. “It’s easy to hang out. He’s an easy guest to have in my home.”