Hilary Swank, who is returning to TV after taking time off from Hollywood in order to take care of her ill father, said she is "very thankful" she could be there for her dad as he recovered, adding that "we both really grew from it."
"Going through something like that with a family member whose life is at risk is both wonderful and scary," Swank told ABC News' Amy Robach. "To be able to be there for someone through such a difficult and kind of dark time."
Hilary Swank puts career on hold to care for dadSwank announced in a 2015 interview that she was the "sole caretaker" of her father and was putting her career on hold in order to look after him following his lung transplant surgery.
She told Robach that her father is now doing "great."
"We worked through it together, and we both really grew from it, and I am very thankful I could be there," she added. "I think a lot of people would not have that luxury of being able to take time off of work."
In the new FX series "Trust," based on the 1973 abduction of John Paul Getty III, Swank plays Gayle Getty, a mother left reeling in the aftermath of her son's kidnapping.
Before taking on the role, Swank said she knew almost nothing about the true story.
"I had heard about the kidnapping and I didn't really know much else, and so learning about the kidnapping in more depth about the Getty dynasty was kind of fascinating," she added.
In "Trust," she stars alongside Donald Sutherland, who Swank described as "wonderfully intense." Swank and Sutherland worked together on her debut film, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer."
"Getting the opportunity to work with him at that first point in my career and now again was just excellent," she said of Sutherland.
The two-time Academy Award-winning actress shared her life mantra: "Make a choice, make it happen."
"I feel like we have a choice every day to live our fullest potential," she said. "As far as we know, we only have one life and it's up to us to really make the most of it and not be afraid to really push into the sharp edges."
In addition to living life to the fullest, Swank said she also hopes to dance more.
"It was one of my New Year's resolutions, because I love to dance, and I never make time to do it," she said. "Just do it."
"Trust" premieres this Sunday on FX.