Hilary Swank earned two Academy Awards for transforming herself into the characters she’s portrayed — the gender-busting Brandon Teena in Boys Don’t Cry and the tough, determined boxer in Million Dollar Baby.

Now, Swank is working her magic once again in Amelia, looking eerily like the legendary aviator who disappeared on a historic flight around the world. Parade.com’s Jeanne Wolf found out that Swank went beyond Earhart’s short hair, freckles and distinctive accent to find the woman whose determination and courage has stayed with her.

“She lived her life the way she wanted to live it, and she made no apologies for it. Even now that’s really rare, especially for women, because it’s still a male centric world. Amelia died in her 39th year just weeks before her 40th birthday. After diving deep into who she was and her huge influence, I guess what I took away is…”

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