Hilary Swank Talks ‘Amelia’ & Getting Her Pilot’s License

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Hilary Swank,‘Amelia’,Movies,Celebrities
 
 
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  • Hilary Swank talks ‘Amelia’ with Access Hollywood
  • Hilary Swank and Ewan McGregor looking great at the premiere of ‘Amelia’ at The Paris Theatre on October 20, 2009 in New York City
  • Hilary Swank poses with two furry pals at the Iams Home 4 The Holidays event to raise awareness for pet adoption at the Bideawee Animal Center on October 19, 2009 in New York City
  • Hilary Swank arrives in a flowing, white dress by Lebanese designer Elie Saab at the opening of the Middle East International Film Festival in Abu Dhabi, Dubai on October 8, 2009

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  • Access Hollywood

    Hilary Swank talks ‘Amelia’ with Access Hollywood
  • Getty Images

    Hilary Swank and Ewan McGregor looking great at the premiere of ‘Amelia’ at The Paris Theatre on October 20, 2009 in New York City
  • Getty Images

    Hilary Swank poses with two furry pals at the Iams Home 4 The Holidays event to raise awareness for pet adoption at the Bideawee Animal Center on October 19, 2009 in New York City
  • Getty Images

    Hilary Swank arrives in a flowing, white dress by Lebanese designer Elie Saab at the opening of the Middle East International Film Festival in Abu Dhabi, Dubai on October 8, 2009
 
 

FIRST PUBLISHED: October 21, 2009 3:53 PM EDT
LAST UPDATED: October 21, 2009 5:10 PM EDT

LOS ANGELES, Calif. --

Hilary Swank may play famed aviatrix Amelia Earhart in “Amelia,” but soon she’ll become a real-life pilot.

“I had about 19 hours of flying under my belt,” she told Access Hollywood at the film’s premiere in New York City on Tuesday. “You have to fly solo, obviously, to get your pilot’s license and the insurance policy on the movie was never going to allow me do that.”

With the movie due in theaters on Friday, Hilary’s ready to take to the air once more.

“I definitely want to see that through,” she said.

She added that Amelia, who disappeared mysteriously during a 1937 flight, was more than just an impressive pilot.

“She had the Amelia Earhart clothing line, the Amelia Earhart luggage – and it was all to finance her flying,” Hilary said of Amelia’s stardom.

Such celebrity endorsements may be common now, but in Amelia’s era, they were groundbreaking.

“This was a woman who made no apologies for living her life the way she wanted,” Hilary told Access at the film’s junket. “She was ahead of her time, in the ‘20s and ‘30s. She was living in 2009.”

Copyright 2009 by NBC Universal, Inc. All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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