It’s been 25 years 10 things I hate about you visit theaters. Julia Stiles still remembers that audition like it was yesterday.
The 43-year-old actress, who was only 17 at the time, was relatively new to Hollywood. She had played roles in previous films such as Property of the devil with Brad Pitt and Wide awake directed by M. Night Shyamalan. She even starred in the Sundance thriller Bada role she won over fellow ’90s actresses Rachael Leigh Cook and Katie Holmes. Stiles didn’t do too bad at all for a high school student, but she was still waiting for her breakout role.
10 things I hate about you was exactly that.
“That was my first big movie,” Stiles told Yahoo Entertainment. “I was a 17-year-old auditioning actress. So I’m trying to figure out who I am as a person, and then I’m also getting all this criticism and feedback from the film industry.
The 1999 romantic comedy, adapted from Shakespeare’s Taming the shrewsaw Stiles share the screen with some of Hollywood’s top young stars, including Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Larisa Oleynik, Gabrielle Union and, of course, her on-screen flame, Heath Ledger, a seasoned Australian actor who had landed his first leading role in an American movie.
“A lot of it was negative,” Stiles recalled of the criticism early in her career. “A lot of it was like, ‘You’re too serious,’ ‘You [need to] become lighter.’ You know, trying to be more sexually attractive, whatever. That can be very daunting, especially as a teenager. So when I read 10 things I hate about youKat was so refreshing because I loved how unapologetic she was.
Kat Stratford has a biting tongue and an anarchic vibe. She has seditious sensibilities — which would make sense, given the subculture’s start in Washington and its roots in the Pacific Northwest — and has no intention of appeasing the status quo. Speaking her mind is non-negotiable, and popularity contests make her feel sick. She’d rather dance her heart out at a Letters to Cleo show than scream for the attention of narcissistic teenage boys like Joey “Eat Me” Donner (played by Andrew Keegan). Stratford isn’t afraid to let the world know she’s angry.
“I completely appreciate that this movie still means something to people,” Stiles said. “It’s really nice to know that other people are reacting to that film the same way I am.”
Like many fans of the film, there are a few scenes that live freely in Stiles’ mind.
“The stadium scene is quite memorable for me because I was like, ‘What? Heath Ledger? Can you sing and dance and stuff?” she said. “And actually the scene where I read the poem, because it was really surprising to me. I didn’t mean to cry like that, but it happened.”
These days, you can see Stiles showcasing her talents in front of and behind the camera, both as an actor and as an executive producer. She recently traded her big sister beginnings for a turn against the younger, messier sister in her latest film, Chosen familywhich will be released on October 11th.
Starring, written and directed by Austin Powers: The Spy Who Fucked Me actress Heather Graham, Chosen family centers on Ann, a yoga instructor from Rhode Island who, between her all-consuming family and unconventional romantic relationship, struggles to put herself first. Stiles plays Ann’s younger sister Clio, who is fresh out of rehab when the film begins. She is directionless, naive and seemingly unable to turn her life around. (Stiles describes her as a “mature toddler.”)
Clio differs significantly from Stratford.
“[Clio] It felt like an opportunity for me to bring out all the things we’re not really allowed to do or say in real life. There are aspects of the Clio that are quite ridiculous and irredeemable,” she said. “But at the same time, I feel like because it’s through a comedic lens, her sass was something that was really fun for me.”
In the romantic comedy, Clio develops her own kind of organized exercise called “Punchilates,” a hybrid of pilates and, well, punching. While Ann has dedicated her life to yoga with minimal recognition from her family, Clio’s idea is immediately praised.
“She’s kind of stealing her sister’s thunder,” Stiles said. “Clio is a hot mess, but she makes no apologies for being a hot mess. She’s not going to hide it. I usually play the higher functioning person. It was refreshing for me to play the one who still lives in her parents’ garage.”
Off-screen, Stiles and Graham’s relationship is anything but volatile. In fact the Silver Linings Playbook actress was immediately drawn to the project after first reading Graham’s script a few years ago.
“I think I’ve met Heather once or twice before, but I didn’t really know her personally,” she said. “I just thought she wrote a really great script. The characters were so vivid and clear.”
Stiles soon joined as executive producer, a move that Graham said ultimately helped him get the film financed.
“I was lucky enough to see it [Graham] directed on her own set, right before I went on to direct my own movie,” she said.
Earlier this year, Stiles wrapped production I wish you were herea romantic drama adapted from Renee Carlino’s novel of the same name. She also co-wrote the film, which will mark her directorial debut.
On watching Graham wrap her own film, Stiles said, “It was inspiring for me to see her finish her film against all odds, because it’s very difficult to get independent films made these days. I [wanted] to support her and stay with her. I think we just have to lift each other up.”
Chosen Family is in theaters and on-demand Friday, October 11.
