Hilary Swank has revealed she is expecting her third child at 52 – announcing the pregnancy with a glow-in-the-dark family dance featuring her husband and their three-year-old twins and joking her next big project is due for release in December.
The two-time Oscar-winning actress shared the news on Instagram in a video featuring her husband, Philip Schneider, and their twins, Aya and Ohm, whom the couple welcomed in April 2023.
The family appeared in a darkened room with glow sticks attached to their bodies before Hilary revealed her baby bump, decorated with the outline of a tiny dancing baby.
The announcement comes after the actress spoke publicly about becoming a mother later in life and how her established Hollywood career has allowed her to spend more time raising her children.
Hilary wrote alongside the video: “A lot of people have been asking what project I’m doing next, this one releases in December.”
The actress, who has largely kept her children away from the public eye, used the family performance to reveal her pregnancy rather than making a conventional announcement.
The footage showed the family dancing in darkness, with the glow sticks illuminating their movements before Hilary's pregnancy became apparent.
Her announcement follows several interviews in which she discussed motherhood, the demands of her acting career and her decision to have children in her late forties.
Hilary first became a mother when she gave birth to Aya and Ohm, having previously spoken about wanting children while concentrating on establishing herself as an actress.
Speaking to People during a discussion about her support for California legislation requiring greater transparency over the ingredients used in disposable nappies, Hilary said becoming a mother later in life had allowed her to devote more attention to her family.
She said: “It just worked out that I had babies this much later in life.”
Hilary continued: “It wasn’t that I didn’t want them earlier. There were a lot of things that kept that from happening, and so I can really take time to be with them.”
The actress also said her professional circumstances meant she could organise her working life around her children rather than having to balance the demands of establishing a career with raising a young family.
She added: “I feel like I get a lot of Mother’s Days other than actual Mother’s Day because of being able to be so present with them.”
Hilary, who won her first Academy Award for playing a transgender teenager in the 1999 drama Boys Don't Cry, has previously described acting as the central focus of her life during her twenties and thirties.
She won her second Oscar for her portrayal of boxer Maggie Fitzgerald in Clint Eastwood's 2004 drama Million Dollar Baby, in which she starred alongside Clint Eastwood and Morgan Freeman.
Her other prominent films include P.S. I Love You, Freedom Writers, Amelia, The Homesman and Logan Lucky.
On television, she has starred in Netflix's science-fiction drama Away, playing an astronaut leading an international mission to Mars, and the ABC newspaper drama Alaska Daily, in which she portrayed investigative journalist Eileen Fitzgerald.
Hilary has also appeared in Yellowjackets, the psychological survival drama about the aftermath of a plane crash involving a high-school football team.
Discussing the relationship between her career and motherhood, the actress acknowledged that her priorities had changed as she became older.
She told People: “I knew I wanted kids someday, but I wasn’t planning what that would look like.”
Hilary continued: “I know it’s so different for everyone, but for me, if I had had a kid in my 20s or my 30s, I think I’d be a much different parent than I am now.”
She explained reaching a more established position in Hollywood had given her greater freedom to choose projects and spend extended periods with her children.
Hilary said: “I feel like I have that more kind of ability to really give them my attention in a way that I wouldn’t have as much at that point because it would’ve been pulled between the two in a very distinct way.”
She added: “In my career being so established, I have the ability to kind of step in and step out when I choose, and that is just such a blessing.”
The actress also discussed the personal changes she believed had helped prepare her for parenthood, including developing greater patience and learning to manage difficult situations.
She said: “I’ve done a lot of work on myself.”
Hilary continued: “One of the things that I feel is important about being your best parenting self is having done that work, so you break any cycles that you don’t want to impart on your children, and I’ve done a lot of that work over time, so I didn’t have to do a lot of catch up with that.”
She acknowledged that becoming a parent had not removed the need for further personal development.
Hilary said: “I still do my work. Don’t get me wrong.”
She also added: “I’m certainly not a perfect human being. But, I have the tools in which to deal with those things at hand rather than having to go search for them while I’m in the middle of it.”
Her comments came during an interview about California Bill AB 1901, legislation aimed at increasing transparency about the ingredients used in nappies.
Hilary has supported the proposed measures while discussing her experiences raising young children and the importance she places on decisions affecting their wellbeing.
The actress also described how Aya and Ohm had changed her approach to everyday life, particularly her efforts to concentrate on the present rather than constantly looking ahead.
She told People: “One of the things that I’ve always tried and aimed for as a goal is to be in the moment, and it’s much harder than one would think.”
Hilary added: “My kids have really taught me (that.)”
She continued: “First of all, there’s no one more in the moment than them, right?”
The actress said: “They’re just that perfect reminder of that, and that I don’t want to lose sight of that.”