Hilary's back to looking swanky

Fairy tales don't come much juicier than that of Boys Don't Cry's Hilary Swank. In 1992 she starred in the Buffy The Vampire Slayer movie which, unlike the TV series it spawned, did not make stars of its cast. Two years later she scored the title role in The Next Karate Kid, but no one went to see that either. Then in 1997, still looking very different (a fringe and long hair), she graduated to a recurring role in Beverly Hills 90210 as a single mum. And then came Boys Don't Cry, the true-life story of Teena Brandon who lived as a boy - Brandon Teena - and was ultimately raped and murdered for the deception. Though the film itself has done only moderate business in the US, it has made a star of Swank who certainly deserved her Best Actress Oscar and the resulting kudos cascading her way.

'It's funny,' says 25-year-old Swank, looking stunning with spiky short hair. 'People say, "Oh, you're really trying to work up that girl image", and I have to say, "You know, actually, I am a girl."' She took the role - which required her to dress and pass as a boy for a month before shooting began - because 'making people aware of hate crimes is the first step to making people hopeful, to opening the door on ending intolerance in the future'. Having grown up in a trailer park, Swank has experienced prejudice first-hand. 'I'm so glad I had that experience because I see where that ignorance stems from.'

She moved to LA with her mother when she was 16 to pursue an acting career. Times were hard - 'We lived off a Mobil petrol card, which meant we had to buy all our food, everything, at the petrol station.' They lived on air mattresses in a house that was up for sale, meaning they had to make themselves scarce when the estate agent came round with potential buyers. But before long Swank had signed with a reputable agent and was 'working within six months of arriving. I live under such a blessed star'.

She's not kidding. She met and married Chad Lowe, Rob's actor brother, two years ago and the pair recently bought a house in Santa Monica, LA's most popular beach suburb. 'It was love at first sight. Very innocent.' She credits Chad with saving her sanity during production of Boys Don't Cry. 'Three weeks into filming I decided to put on some make-up because I looked so androgynous and needed to feel like me. I had lost every ounce of Hilary. But I couldn't get out of character and that has never happened to me before. So I called Chad and he came and stayed with me the rest of the time. He was the only one who could see past my physical appearance.'

But now, with the award of that Best Actress Oscar, Hollywood has more than caught up.