Hilary Swank

"Hilary loves to be scared by what she doesn't know," observes Nair, who calls her "a spiritual daredevil." The filmmaker sees a lot of aviator in the actress: "They both have this 'I want to do it because I want to do it' philosophy. They're both can-do and accessible."

Read more: Hilary Swank shares Amelia Earhart's derring-do | In this article: Amelia Earhart, Oscar, Mira Nair, Julia Child, Brandon Teena, George Putnam, and Amelia

"I read an Earhart script 10 years ago, and it just didn't capture her," she says. However, the screenplay sent over by producer Ted Waitt, founder of Gateway computers and an Earhart buff, drew her like moth to fire. "Hilary loves to be scared by what she doesn't know," observes Nair, who calls her "a spiritual daredevil." The filmmaker sees a lot of aviator in the actress: "They both have this 'I want to do it because I want to do it' philosophy. They're both can-do and accessible."

Read more: Hilary Swank shares Amelia Earhart's derring-do | In this article: Amelia Earhart, Oscar, Mira Nair, Julia Child, Brandon Teena, George Putnam, and Amelia

As played by Hillary Swank, he writes, "we get a protofeminist with a frozen smile spouting free-as-a-bird slogans from a bird-brained script. The film struggles to stay aloft, and may soon vanish, like its namesake, without a trace."

Read more: Hillary Swank - Movie Reviews Amelia | In this article: Amelia Earhart, Hillary Swank, JOVI, All rights reserved, Revenue, Lou Lumenick, and History Channel

"My Amelia is not a fuddy duddy. She's a force of nature. Hilary is full of fun and full of life," Nair says.

Read more: Hilary Swank finds her next thrill in highflying 'Amelia' | In this article: Amelia Earhart Putnam, Mira Nair, Oscars, Amelia, Los Angeles, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and Million Dollar Baby

The hair, the clothing, the freckles - "also in her iPod, in her ear, Hilary would have Amelia's speeches," Nair says. "That was real fodder for Hilary, to get the cadence, the accent, right."

Read more: Mira Nair, Making Sense Of A Modern 'Amelia' | In this article: Mira Nair, Amelia Earhart, Amelia, Oscar, IPod, Tillotama Shome, The Namesake, and Monsoon Wedding

Hilary, 35, said: "Winning an Academy Award when you're so young and you aren't known for anything else except that one film, you put this incredible pressure on yourself, like you can't mess up or something and that's never going to happen." She added: "You're going to make mistakes and you're going to make a movie that doesn't work."

Read more: Hilary Swank reveals Oscar pressure | In this article: Oscar, Amelia Earhart, Million Dollar Baby, and Boys Don't Cry

"You're going to make mistakes and you're going to make a movie that doesn't work." In her next film Hilary plays one of America's most iconic female figures, the aviatrix Amelia Earhart. She said: "It's incredible to see the choices I've made, to see the common thread between the characters I've played.

Read more: Hilary Swank reveals Oscar pressure | In this article: Oscar, Amelia Earhart, Million Dollar Baby, and Boys Don't Cry

She said: "I'm definitely spiritual.

Read more: Hilary Swank - Hilary Swank Boosted By Rejection | In this article: Beverly Hills 90210, Million Dollar Baby, Boys Don't Cry, All rights reserved, Oscar, and US

She said: "I love getting the opportunity to recognize what your body's capable of.

Read more: Hilary Swank's vital work-outs | In this article: Million Dollar Baby and Africa

She said: "I love getting the opportunity to recognise what your body's capable of.

Read more: Hilary Swank - Hilary Swanks Vital Workouts | In this article: All rights reserved, Million Dollar Baby, and Africa