Having found a sparring partner in first husband Chad Lowe, “I knew I wanted kids someday,” Swank noted to People in May, “but I wasn’t planning what that would look like.” 

Instead, she was focused on giving round-the-clock care to her acting career, calling it “such a baby of mine.” 

After all, she and her mom had followed her Hollywood dreams from their native Washington, at times sleeping in their car as Swank booked roles on Beverly Hills, 90210 and the 1994 flick The Next Karate Kid. 

By the time she’d nabbed Oscars for both 1999’s Boys Don’t Cry and 2004’s Million Dollar Baby, the actress was ready to nurture her own little family. 

Following a five-year relationship with her agent John Campisi and an engagment to tennis pro Ruben Torres, Swank agreed to take another swing at romance when a friend offered to set her up on a blind date with social venture entrepreneur Schneider. 

“We met at 10:00 a.m. and parted ways at 11:00 p.m.,” Swank reflected to Vogue following their dreamy 2018 wedding amid California’s redwood trees. “We clearly enjoyed our time!”