on Alaska Daily, Hilary Swank portrays Eileen Fitzgerald, a journalist looking for a fresh start. During the first episode of the series, viewers are introduced to the seasoned journalist while she works at a large newsroom called the vanguard. After publishing a story that leads to lawsuits, Eileen’s behavior and article are questioned by her editor. The situation does not turn out well and Eileen is soon out of work after resigning from her position.
Months later, Eileen is approached by Stanley Cornik (Jeff Perry), a former boss who offers her a job at Alaska Daily. She is not interested and sees working at a local newspaper as a step back. When Stanley shows Eileen a stack of photos of missing native women, Eileen changes his mind and pushes to take the position. In reality, Swank was drawn to the project for the same reason her character made the move. In an interview with Colliderswank said:
“For me, this one was primarily about the fact that the story was about these missing and murdered indigenous women. It’s paramount and it’s a story that matters. I’d love to see it come out and get “Get more eyes on it and get people talking about it. And then, this woman is a truth-seeker. She’s an advocate. She wants to see justice prevail. All those things are very beautiful to me. I like that she does that.” “Let no fools suffer. We usually see guys in these roles, so it’s really nice to have something I can step into that’s just brave.”
although Alaska Daily is a fictional newspaper, the show is inspired by Lawless, a series of articles published by Anchorage’s Daily News and ProPublica during the Alaska sexual assault investigation.
The series also stars Grace Dove (reporter Rosalind “Roz” Friendly), Matt Malloy (acting news editor Bob Young), Meredith Holzman (reporter Claire Muncy), Ami Park (reporter Yuna Park), Craig Frank (reporter Austin Teague), and Pablo Castelblanco (trainee Gabriel Tovar). Alaska Daily was created by Tom McCarthy (Spotlight) and showrunner/executive producer Peter Elkoff. It airs on ABC Thursday nights and is available to stream on Hulu.
Swank’s illustrious career
Throughout her celebrated career, Swank has often portrayed strong-willed women. It seems Eileen fits right into that mold, which is something Swank appreciates. Describing her character, she later told Collider:
“It’s in her bones to investigate the truth. She’s a truth-seeker and she demands that of people. As we evolve, I find that very inspiring. I think the world, especially our country right now, is fed up to be misled. There is no room for that anymore. That will also be something that people appreciate.”
Hilary Swank made her film debut on the 1992 comedy-horror Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Her breakthrough role came two years later when she appeared as Julie Pierce in The next karate kid. She appeared in the eighth season of Beverly Hills, 90210before appearing in Boys do not Cry (1999) and Million Dollars Baby (2004). Her performances in both films earned the actress multiple awards, including two Academy Awards. She later appeared in The Gift, Freedom Writers, Black Dahlia, Logan Luckyand The hunt, among other things. She has also served as a producer on multiple films.