HILARY SWANK SOLD BY JOEL SILVER TO DO THE REAPING

Hilary Swank stars in The Reaping as a former Christian minister who begins to question the existence of religion and miracles when her family is brutally murdered by religious zealots in Africa. She then turns to teaching college science as a way of debunking miracles.

The clincher for Hilary to do The Reaping was a phone call from persuasive producer Joel Silver during the week of the Academy Awards.

“You know I was obviously had a lot going on and a lot on my mind and he has such a great spirit Joel. He really gets people excited. And he was adamant that I read it that week and I said, ‘Ok, Ok, I’ll read it.’ And I went in and sat with him actually the Friday before the Academy Awards. We talked about the script. I said thank you for having me read it. I really, really enjoyed it and he said, ‘I want you to do this movie. What can I do to get you to do this movie?’ And I said, ‘Joel you sent me the script, I loved the script. I’m a fan of yours. Let’s work together.’”

After being sold by Silver, Hilary talks about what attracted her to the role.

“It’s kind of an awakening to your calling in life I guess and you know why things happen for a reason. And there’s scary elements, there’s dramatic elements, they’re religious elements and I think they’re all tied together really well.”

The Reaping also starring Basic Instinct 2’s David Morrissey opens Friday in theaters.