On Saturday, two-time Academy Award-winning actress Hilary Swank received the Silver Medallion at this year’s 41st annual Telluride Film Festival.
Dressed in a brown sweater, tight jeans, and boots appropriate for the intimate mountain festival, Swank accepted the award from TFF co-director Julie Huntsinger. “I’m speechless,” Swank said, adding that she felt “far too young” for such an honor.
Swank’s modesty was ingratiating to the 500-plus fans attending the tribute to this young actress, who has distinguished herself by giving flinty performances in roles as varied as the inspirational teacher Erin Gruwell in “Freedom Writers” and Betty Ann Waters, a woman who struggled to clear her brother of murder in the under appreciated drama, “Conviction.” Clips from these films showcased Swank’s strength as a performer. The actress displays a fiercely independent determination that is also characteristic of Mary Bee Cuddy, the gutsy Nebaska frontierswoman Swank plays in “The Homesman,” which was screened after the tribute. Continue reading Telluride: Hilary Swank on Her Comedy Roots, How She Picks Roles and Why She Acts