Hilary Swank Says Les Moonves Dismissing Her as ‘Too Half-Hour’ for CBS Drama Freed Her Schedule for ‘Boys Don’t Cry’

Everything happens for a reason. For two-time Oscar winner and “Ordinary Angels” star Hilary Swank, former CBS chairman and CEO Les Moonves dissing her as “too half-hour” to star in one of his network dramas ultimately led her to one of the biggest successes of her career, “Boys Don’t Cry.”

Interviewing with actor Rob Lowe on his “Literally!” podcast, the actress recalled the early-career encounter, with longtime friend Lowe admitting that it was one of his “favorite Hilary memories.”

As the story goes, Swank had been auditioning for a dramatic role on an hour-long CBS pilot, and when it was between her and one other actress, Moonves dismissed her and chose to cast the other contender.

“He said, yeah, ‘You’re just too half-hour.’ Not even funny,” Swank recalled. “He didn’t even say I was funny or comedic. I was too half hour.”

Lowe described it as being labelled “too multi-camera” — a sitcom actress.

But if it hadn’t been for this rejection, Lowe and Swank said, there would not have been the redirection that led to her starring in “Boys Don’t Cry,” the independent feature that won her her first Academy Award.

“I love that you even remember who it was,” Swank said.

“At that time the most powerful man in the business [was Moonves],” Lowe said. “And only because you didn’t get that pilot or that show –“

“I was able to do ‘Boys Don’t Cry,'” Swank said, finishing his sentence.

“Boys Dont Cry” was the 1999 film where she portrayed a young trans man. While she only made $75 per day on that month-long shoot, she went on to receive multiple awards and nominations for her acting in the film, including a Golden Globe for Best Actress and the Oscar.

“The reason I bring this up is because I think it’s super important for everybody in their lives who feel like maybe something didn’t go their way, particularly young actors,” Lowe said, adding, “It really is the concrete evidence of when a door closes or doesn’t even open, another one does.”

“It’s so true and it’s so hard to trust that, right? Because like you said, there’s no ‘for sure.’ But I think if you just remain open, you keep that energy open,” Swank said. “Feel it, don’t go, oh, something better is happening — I felt it. I was like, this really sucks. And then I felt it, and then I moved on.”

Listen to Swank’s full interview on “SiriusXM’s Literally! With Rob Lowe” here.

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