Lonely child Hilary Swank

Apr 8, 2010, 6:01 GMT

Hilary Swank's friends were banned from playing with her at school.

The Oscar-winning actress - who grew up in a trailer park in Bellingham, Washington - was shunned by her classmates because their parents didn't want them socialising with someone from a poor background.

She said: "I grew up feeling like an outsider because we had no money, so I understood 'classism' at a young age. A lot of parents didn't want their kids playing with me, even though the kids didn't care."

The 35-year-old star was forced to spend her spare time reading and watching movies, where the characters became the closest thing she had to friends.

She explained: "Because I experienced that, my friends became characters in books or movies. That's what I could relate to. The first three movies I remember watching - 'The Elephant Man', 'The Miracle Worker' and 'The Wizard of Oz' - were all about outsiders facing adversity."

However, Hilary feels as though her film career - which has seen her win two Best Actress Academy Awards - has helped her finally fit in.

She explained to Britain's Cosmopolitan magazine: "The fact that people I admire so much have embraced me with the awards means that I don't feel like such an outsider any more. I've grown up and experienced a lot in life, and have travelled and seen the world. What I recognised was that I wasn't alone and everyone has that feeling. But my job brings me so much joy, I'm always on the film set thinking 'How did I get so lucky?' I don't ever want to take it for granted."