When it was announced that Hilary Swank(希拉里·斯万克) would be starring as Amelia Earhart in the new biopic “Amelia,” Oscar-watchers everywhere thought to themselves, “Well, of course.” Swank, after all, took home Best Actress Oscars for two films — 1999’s “Boys Don’t Cry” and 2004’s “Million Dollar Baby” — that required her to cut her hair, wear pants and communicate photogenic anguish.
When Swank goes glam, as in “The Affair of the Necklace” or “The Black Dahlia,” (黑色大丽花)audiences fail to engage. So playing legendary aviator Earhart aligns perfectly with the roles that have done the most for her career. (Don’t be surprised if she decides to play Joan of Arc or a Pennsylvania wife who crops her locks to join the Union Army before the next decade is out.)
In a typical year packed with noteworthy female performances, Swank’s relatively perfunctory work in “Amelia” (a film she also executive-produced) might get a snub from the Academy, but with 2009 looking like one of the leanest years in memory for leading actresses, Swank may wind up squeezing her way into Oscar’s five finalists.