Hilary Swank is reflecting on the hurdles she faced as a young Hollywood star in a male-dominated field.

In a new interview with Women’s Health, the actor, 50, got candid about how Hollywood “was more patriarchal than ever” when her career first skyrocketed after starring as transgender man in the 1999 crime romance “Boys Don’t Cry.” Swank, who earned her first Oscar win from the film, said at the time that many of the female roles were written by male execs who couldn’t “necessarily” capture the “female point of view.”

“Thankfully, it’s becoming more inclusive. But when I started, it was more patriarchal than ever. And so I was playing roles that were written by men from what a female point of view is, and it wasn’t necessarily true,” she explained.

Swank added: “It’s not that I don’t like being feminine — I just don’t like being told how to be feminine.”

Elsewhere in the interview, the double Oscar-winner, who starred in “Boys Don’t Cry” at age 25, dished out some advice she would have given her younger self.

“I probably would say, ‘Take a breath for a second.’ I’d say to really ruminate on the choices that you’re making every day,” Swank said. “Make sure what is happening is what you want. That’s the only control we have — the choices we make every day. My time is my life.”

Back in 2018, Swank opened up about taking a break from acting to care for her ill father, and how it helped her gain a new perspective on her career.

“I realized I’m so much more than an actress. There’s all these other things I was able to explore about myself, and it also gave me a renewed passion for being an actress,” she told CBS News. “I think we can take things we love for granted and stepping back in I have a whole new appreciation for storytelling.”