Oscar Winner Hilary Swank Heads Up North for ABC’s ‘Alaska Daily’

ABC/Darko Sikman

Two-time Academy Award winner Hilary Swank (Boys Don’t Cry, Million Dollar Baby) said she had traveled the world but had never seen anything like Alaska until she recently visited to film episodes of her new ABC drama, Alaska Daily (premiering Oct. 6 at 10pm ET/PT). The vast tundra was not what she expected, but the Alaskan setting is part of what makes the series distinct.

Another unique aspect that appealed to Swank is the focus on journalists. While there are an intimidating number of shows on television these days, she was hard-pressed to think of any that revolve around journalists, which is something that helps distinguish Alaska Daily and adds a fresh narrative to the TV landscape.

Swank plays Eileen Fitzgerald, a star investigative reporter in New York City. Eileen is fully aware of her stature in the industry, and it has gone to her head. She is arrogant, abrasive, unyielding and cruel to subordinates. This lands her in serious trouble when a source for an explosive new story turns out to be unreliable.

Several months after being fired, with seemingly no prospects, Eileen reluctantly accepts an offer to join a daily newspaper in Anchorage, Alaska. Far from home, she joins a small, underfunded and overworked team of reporters doing their best to bring people honest, essential news that holds truth to power and exposes wrongdoing wherever it occurs. Swank relished the opportunity to portray someone who is a “seeker of truth” at a time when the profession faces enormous challenges.

“It is a hard time to be a journalist,” she said, expressing genuine admiration for journalism and reporters. “It is a quick-news environment. Not many people really read long articles. It’s about quick tidbits. And [journalists] aren’t paid a lot. But good journalism is a true gift.” Swank hopes the series celebrates that along with what journalists go through to do the job well.

She also hopes Alaska Daily sheds light on serious, difficult issues impacting Alaskans. The series does not shy away from diving right into some of those issues, including missing or dead Native women and their grieving families. Swank solemnly acknowledges how horrific that is while being grateful for the opportunity to put it under a spotlight.

While the series isn’t afraid to quickly tackle weighty topics, there is also a somewhat comedic element due to Eileen’s unfamiliarity with her surroundings. She is a true outsider, a fish out of water, and that is occasionally played for laughs. It can be akin to walking a tightrope.

“The balance is hard,” Swank admits when discussing the lighter moments mixed in with the more serious ones. Knowing that what’s depicted about missing Native Alaskan women is true, “it’s challenging to find levity.”

That Alaska Daily manages to find it is partly due to creator Tom McCarthy (an Oscar winner for Spotlight), whose involvement was a big draw for Swank. Praising his past work, including films like The Station Agent, she didn’t have to think about it long when he called and asked if she was interested in joining the series.

Swank has worked in television before, and the actress knows it can be tough for a new show to stand out. She is hopeful that Alaska Daily possesses enough elements to distinguish it and find an audience.

“There’s a diverse cast, and it deals with [seldom seen] journalism, along with mental health issues,” she noted, believing that those aspects help differentiate it. Throw in Swank, McCarthy, and people and places not often seen on television, and one gets the impression this is a show that has a good chance of success.