Hilary Swank debuts baby bump as she responds to backlash over having children in her 40s and 50s

Hilary Swank has responded to backlash after she confirmed that she was expecting a child, with the two-time Academy Award winner showing off her baby bump during an appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show.

The actor, who is known for her roles in Boys Don't Cry and Million Dollar Baby, announced earlier this week that she was expecting a baby with husband Philip Schneider, with whom she has a son and a daughter.

Appearing on the US chat show earlier this week, Swank addressed some of the criticism that she had faced over the past few years regarding her choice to become a parent at a slightly older age, with her twins being born when she was 48 years old.

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"There's a lot of backlash that women get for having children [while] older, but not men, which is interesting," she said, with Barrymore replying: "It is weird. Men have babies in their 80s… You had kids in your 40s and people weren't always gracious about it."

Recalling a situation from her past, Swank added: "There's one story that I found really interesting, and I was attracted to this particular story because this one woman said, 'How dare you? You're too old'."

Swank noted that the woman in question shared how her father had passed away while she was in her 20s, with the actor - whose own father has died - saying that she "related" to the story of someone being a "favourite" person.

"I was drawn to that, because I thought to myself, 'Well, I would rather be born and have that person that was my favourite person and experience that than not at all'. So that's how I took what she said," added the actor.

The clip, which was shared via the show's Instagram account, was widely discussed by users and followers, with several praising both Swank and Barrymore for their candour regarding the subject matter.

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"Such a POWERFUL conversation, this needs to be talked about more!" wrote one user in the comment section, while another added: "Listen, if you're 52 & still able to naturally get pregnant & have a baby good for you that’s a true blessing."

Swank, who has also appeared in Alaska Daily, confirmed her pregnancy with a post on Instagram earlier this week, writing: "A lot of people have been asking what project I’m doing next, this one releases in December."

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Reporter, Digital Spy George is a freelance writer who specialises in Movies and TV. After graduating with a degree in Film Studies and Journalism from De Montfort University, in which he analysed the early works of Richard Linklater for his dissertation, he wrote for several websites for GRV Media.  His film tastes vary from blockbusters like Mission: Impossible and John Wick to international directors such as Paolo Sorrentino and Hirokazu Kore-eda, and has attended both the London and Berlin film festivals.