Hilary Swank has revealed that she and her husband Philip Schneider will soon be parents to twins.
The Million Dollar Baby star, 48, announced the news that she and Schneider are expanding their family by two during an appearance on Good Morning America on Wednesday.
“I’m so happy to share it with you, and with America right now, this is something that I’ve been wanting for a long time, and my next thing is I’m going to be a mom,” Swank said to applause from the GMA hosts, before adding: “I’m going to be a mom - and not just of one, but of two. I can’t believe it.”
The Academy Award winner then expressed her happiness at being able to share the news, telling the hosts: “It’s so nice to be able to talk about it and share it.”
Swank further opened up about her pregnancy during an appearance on Live with Kelly and Ryan shortly after her appearance on GMA, where she revealed that she is “feeling great right now”.
According to Swank, who is currently in her second trimester, the cast of her new show Alaska Daily hadn’t known the news until her announcement Wednesday.
However, she did note that she had had to make adjustments to her character’s outfits.
“But my clothes started not to fit so I had to, the other day ... cut [my jeans] open. And then I put a jacket on that wasn’t in continuity,” she recalled. “And [they] came and said: ‘That’s not in continuity.’ I said: ‘Oh, I think it works.’ ‘It doesn’t.’ ‘No, it does. I’m going to make it work.’ She’s like: ‘If you’re an executive producer, you can do it, but this is weird.’”
As for how she feels about being pregnant with two babies, Swank revealed that twins run in her and her husband’s families, and that she feels her pregnancy is “such a blessing”.
“It’s a total miracle. It’s unbelievable,” she said.
Swank and Schneider married in a private California ceremony in 2018, after keeping their engagement secret for two years.
According to Swank, who opened up to Vogue about the nuptials, the couple first met on a blind date.
“It was a blind date set up by actor Misha Collins’s wife Vicki and another close friend Jean. We met at 10am and parted ways at 11pm,” Swank revealed. “We clearly enjoyed our time!”
They became engaged a year and a half later, with Swank admitting that she didn’t know why they “waited that long”.
When it came time to choose a wedding venue, Swank told the outlet that they chose a location close to their home in California so that her father, who received a lung transplant a few years prior, could attend. “We found exactly what we were looking for at the Santa Lucia Preserve in Carmel, California,” she said. “It’s a stunning private community surrounded by 20,000 acres of conservancy and an intimate redwood grove populated with trees that are over 800 years old.”
According to the actor, her wedding to the social venture entrepreneur was “timeless”.
“There is just no other way to describe it,” she said. “I was overwhelmed with such gratitude and thanks to be marrying the man of my dreams and to see all the people we love together in the middle of such a profound setting. It was truly a dream come true.”
The news that the couple are expecting their first children together comes after Swank revealed during an interview with You magazine in August 2020 that she feels “maternal”.
“I feel that I’m very maternal in the people that I care for and all the sentient beings I have around me - my dogs, my horses or just the human beings. And I feel like so much of the time women who either choose not to or can’t have children are somehow seen as not maternal or not mothering and it is a conversation that needs to be had, because… I’ve heard a lot of women say that they’ve been told: ‘Oh, you’re kind of a failure.’ Or, you know: ‘Didn’t you come here to procreate?’ There are so many different ways to procreate!” she said at the time.
Swank also noted that “any type of mothering, any type of nurturing, is being a mother”.
Following Swank’s announcement, fans have shared their happiness over the news. “@hilaryswank congratulations! I wish you all the best. Expecting twins is a blessing. Take good care of yourself,” one person tweeted, while another said: “@hilaryswank just announced she’s pregnant with twins and I am beyond excited.”
