Swank Is Sorry

By Stephen M. Silverman

12/12/1997 at 12:00 AM EST

"Boys Don't Cry" best actress Hilary Swank has apologized to Teena Brandon's mother, JoAnn Brandon, who was upset by Swank's Oscar acceptance speech. (Swank referred to her real-life movie character as Brandon Teena, instead of Brandon's given name, and referred to Teena as a man.) "It makes me sad," Swank told Variety columnist Army Archerd. "But I never tried to define her as a lesbian."