‘Alaska Daily’: Hilary Swank Says Eileen Fitzgerald Is a ‘No-Nonsense’ Journalist and ‘Very New York’

This month, Oscar-winning actor Hilary Swank returns to network television to star as Eileen Fitzgerald in ABC‘s new drama series, Alaska Daily. Once a high-profile investigative journalist in New York, Eileen leaves her big city life behind to move to Anchorage, Alaska, where she unravels a mystery and rebuilds her reputation at a daily newspaper. Ahead of the series premiere, Swank spoke about her character and what drives Eileen throughout the thrilling saga.

What is ‘Alaska Daily’ about? Is it based on a true story?

After a “fall from grace,” as Alaska Daily’s synopsis reads, Eileen struggles to keep her career as a journalist afloat. Then, she stumbles on the chance for a fresh start in Anchorage. She moves there to investigate a cold case in which a native woman went missing as a teen and was later killed. Eileen becomes enthralled in the mystery as she uncovers several other cold cases, all involving native women, and vows to give them the attention they deserve.

13 Reasons Why director and EP Tom McCarthy created Alaska Daily. Starring alongside Swank is Jeff Perry as Stanley Cornik, Grace Dove as Rosalind “Roz” Friendly, Matt Malloy as Bob Young, Meredith Holzman as Claire Muncy, Pablo Castelblanco as Gabriel Tovar, Ami Park as Yuna Park, and Craig Frank as Austin Teague.

The characters of Alaska Daily are fictional, but the story takes inspiration from real-life cases of missing indigenous women in Alaska. Kyle Hopkins and Ryan Binkley, two real-life reporters at Anchorage Daily News, serve as executive producers, offering a real perspective on investigating these cases.

Hilary Swank teases her ‘Alaska Daily’ character, Eileen Fitzgerald

In a recent interview with Parade, Swank described Eileen as a “no-nonsense” person. Despite challenges and threats in Anchorage, the journalist is determined to bring these missing women justice. She won’t let anyone get in her way.

“She doesn’t suffer fools. I don’t think she’s rude; she’s very New York, very matter-of-fact, and she calls people on what she feels is BS,” Swank said. “She’s hell-bent on continuing to reveal that the article she wrote was true, that her source was good, and to keep digging deeper into that specific investigation.”

Swank said the unjust nature of the cold cases is what drives Eileen to Alaska in the first place.

“When she goes to dinner with her old boss, who’s courting her to come to Alaska, Eileen sees pictures of these women, and understands — as she starts doing research — that this is a huge, horrific situation, and nobody is investigating. Another woman disappears and gets forgotten, and another,” Swank added. “Even saying that gives me chills. There’s no world in which that should ever be happening, especially now in 2022.”

‘Alaska Daily’ is Hilary Swank’s first network TV project in 20 years

Alaska Daily marks a huge change of scenery for Swank herself, too. While her career has included leading roles in several films and streaming television shows, the Freedom Writers actor hasn’t starred on network television in 20 years. Her last major broadcast TV series was Beverly Hills, 90210, in which she played Carly Reynolds.

Speaking to Deadline, Swank revealed what drew her to Alaska Daily: the need for truth. She said:

“You know, I love people and I love what makes them tick. And I love people who persevere through adversity. I love outsiders. I love the underdog. What makes us all one person? At the heart of these stories, all everyone wants is to be seen and everyone deserves justice. I think a lot of the roles that I choose have that theme in one way or another and I feel like Eileen Fitzgerald is a truth seeker. She’s an investigative truth seeker, and she wants to make sure that justice is done and that people see the truth in situations. I feel that that aligns with what people in the world want right now, they don’t want to be lied to anymore.”

Alaska Daily premieres on ABC on Thursday, Oct. 6, at 10 p.m. ET.