Away: Hilary Swank developed severe claustrophobia while filming Netflix series in spacesuit

‘My entire body broke out in sweat and my face looked like a very ripe tomato’

Hilary Swank has revealed that she developed severe claustrophobia while filming the recent Netflix series Away.

In Away, Swank plays an astronaut on a long-haul journey into outer space.

On Instagram, the Oscar-winning actor explained the toll that the role had taken on her wellbeing, with the time spent inside a spacesuit causing particular distress.

Swank as Emma Green in the ninth episode of ‘Away’ on Netflix (behind the scenes) (Netflix)

“I have never, not once in my life, had a phobia,” she wrote. “Until now. And I’m gonna be honest, I never understood them, I always thought ‘get over it, it’s just a spider, etc. walk away.’”  

“Until l, of course myself, became severely claustrophobic. To the point my entire body broke out in sweat and I was drenched within 30 seconds and my face looked like a very ripe tomato...and I almost passed out while trying on my finished spacesuit and helmet for the first time.”

Swank followed this by explaining that "our mental minds" are able to “control a lot, if not everything”.

She stated that while she had not managed to “overcome” her claustrophobia within the six months of filming, she had worked to “come to a type of meeting of the minds with it”.

“Playing an astronaut in Away made me push into the sharp edges in a way I never thought it would,” she continued.

"I hope that in sharing this you might feel less alone in whatever it is that takes over your mind and therefore body," she added. “Be patient with yourself.”

All 10 episodes of Away are currently available to stream on Netflix.