Early life
Swain was born in Santa Monica, California in her father's Green Datsun 260Zx automobile on the Santa Monica Freeway (on the way to the hospital) during the summer of 1980.[citation needed] Swain grew up in Malibu with four siblings living a modest lifestyle and was a straight-A student at Malibu High School. In 1993, Swain was a stunt double in the film The Good Son. Her sister is the actress Chelse Swain.
Career
In 1995, Swain was chosen from 2,500 girls to star in the controversial remake of Lolita; the film was released in 1997. Shortly after, Swain starred as the rebellious daughter of John Travolta in action film Face/Off. After Face/Off, she starred in many low-budget films. In 2002, Stuff magazine named her #79 of the "102 Sexiest Women In The World." In February of 2007, she was the cover girl on Stuff magazine.
Personal life
Swain is a spokesperson for the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). At the age of 21, she became the youngest model to pose nude for PETA. She has erroneously been reported to be a vegan or vegetarian in the past, but this was probably an incorrect assumption based upon her support of PETA's anti-fur campaigns. Swain says:
Everybody thinks people who promote PETA don't eat meat, but I think animals were made to be eaten. I take my part in the food chain very seriously. I eat meat, the rarer the better. I just don't think animals should be slaughtered for their fur.
