It’s February, which means romance is in the air. You’re thinking of the best romance
movie to watch to get you into the Valentine’s Day mood. In light of the romantic season
that is all around us, we’ve decided to revisit one of our favorite romantic movies,
‘10 Things I Hate About You’. At the time, the cast was still relatively unknown and
had this film to pave their way into the bright lights of hollywood. Unfortunately, sometimes
it seems that the lights that shine the brightest are the first to burn out.
The world lost an irreplaceable actor with the passing of Heath Ledger. So we thought
we’d take a moment to remember Heath through his role that caught Hollywood’s attention.
While we’re at it, we also might as well check in on his on-screen lover, Julia Stiles.
The on-screen couple clearly seemed perfect for each other, but what were things like
for the two when the director called ‘CUT!’ ?
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Heath Ledger
He was one of the greatest actors of our generation, and he was tragically taken away from those
who loved him and fans who adored him way too soon. His most iconic role is still of
course his outstanding performance as Joker, but he was so much more dynamic than anybody
could have imagined. He could play the bad guy or the teen heartthrob and always steal
the scene.
Despite having been one of the most talented actors of our time, there’s still so much
that you might not know about his life. Heath was so much more than just his role as Joker
… he was a devoted father, the type of friend that would always be there for those around
him, and of course an incredibly talented artist.
As a kid, Heath used to be an avid chess player, and even won himself an award when he was
just 10 years old. Young Heath knew he was different from those around him, that he wasn’t
destined for an ordinary life and had no plans of going by society’s rules. He dropped
out of school at the age of 17 to pursue his passion for acting, and it was almost instantly
that he landed a role in a local Australian TV series called Sweat. Over the next couple
of years he starred in two other local TV shows, and finally in 1997 he was cast in
his first film feature film, Blackrock.
Up next was his role of Patrick Verona in, 10 Things I Hate About You, where he practically
dissolved the hearts of women all over the world with his charming smile and long messy
hair. At first it seems to be that he’s the typical bad boy, looking to break the
heart of Kat Stratford … but the tables turned when he started to fall in love with
her and all the women watching this happen through their TV screen were begging him to
fall in love with them too.
Heath dated many women over the years, with well-known actresses such as Naomi Watts,
Lisa Zane and Heather Graham. But it was during his role on Brokeback Mountain where he met
the true love of his life, Michelle Williams. Their chemistry was undeniable, with their
co-star Jake Gyllenhaal confessed that during rehearsals, Heath and Michelle would have
had googly eyes with each other most of the time.
“Our initial meeting, the circumstances of how we first met, were cosmic or something,”
Michelle admitted about their meeting. Not long after they met, Michelle fell pregnant
and the couple welcomed a beautiful baby girl they named, Matilda Rose. Heath was constantly
gushing about his family, talking about how his family was everything and more
to him.
"Before, I felt like I was floating through life, like a ghost; I may not have even existed.”
Unfortunately it seems that the couple battled to balance their work-life and family-life
and split due to the distance that had begun to form between the two. Tragically, just
five months after the couple’s split, Heath passed away from an accidental overdose of
mixed substances. The reasons for his passing have always been up for discussion, was it
really an accident? Did his commitment to his role as the Joker drive him to a pool
of darkness? No one will ever really know the truth of what Heath was really experiencing
at the time.
What we do know is that Michelle was totally and utterly shattered by the loss. Friends
and family had always thought that what Michelle and Heath had was unfinished, and that they
would have gotten back together eventually.
“I don’t think they fell out of love; it was probably tough love,” a friend said.
“They were so young and that baby was the light of both of their lives. They were just
working all the time and it was complicated.” said another friend.
Michelle has admitted that she will never be able to fill the void that Heath has left
behind in her life. Everytime she misses him, or wonders about what they could have become,
she looks at their beautiful daughter and knows that there’s a part of him that lives
through her.
Julia Stiles
When someone you love writes you a poem, you don’t expect it to be titled “10 Things
I Hate About You”. So when Kat Stratford read out her poem to the class that was about
her feelings for Patrick Verona, audiences couldn’t help but be taken completely by
surprise. Kat made it clear that the 10 things she hated about Parick, were the same things
that she loved about him too. Aaaaand que the water works.
Kat Stratford wasn’t your typical ditsy high school girl that fit in with the crowd.
She was the snarky, anti-mainstream, feminist lead. Her character goes on a journey and
learns how to let-loose, have fun and fall in love. And at the same time maybe dancing
on table tops every now and again. The film shot the actress into stardome, and she was
instantly one of the most popular actresses of the 90s.
The actress was drawn to the part because Kat’s character was so different from the
other female roles in popular teen comedies at the time.
"The reason that I wanted that part so badly was because I thought it was so refreshing,
seeing a teenage girl be feisty and opinionated and be a fish out of water, but proudly [so]."
After her new found fame, the Stiles remained very selective about the roles she wanted
to take on and refused to be type cast. She’s always been an outspoken femenist, and refused
to play just any female roles that were offered to her. She took on roles in the Bourne franchise
and the Dexter series.
Stiles was drawn to the part of Lumen on Dexter because her character wasn't just a victim;
she was a layered and complex.
"I was really excited by the idea that she would be involved in Dexter's secret life,
as opposed to on the outside of it like a lot of the other characters."
However, instead of getting caught up in the blinding hollywood lights, the actress decided
to further her education with a college degree, majoring in English. She took a step back
from Hollywood, focusing on her personal life, going to college and starting her own family.
She went on to marry Preston Cook and enjoyed the time away from Hollywood to spend time
with her family.
After a few years away from the spotlight, Julia decided to step back into the world
of Hollywood. Unfortunately, she found that it became tougher to find roles well-suited
for her. Hollywood had changed over the years while she had taken her hiatus, and she realized
that it wasn’t going to be as easy as it was before she left.
The actress had also become a new mother 2017, and was overjoyed to share the news on Instagram,
as one does these days. However, after posting a photograph of her holding her son, the actress
was faced with a large amount of criticism, and was ‘mommy shamed’ for the way she
had been holding him. Julia quickly decided that she wanted to maintain a certain level
of privacy when it came to sharing images of her personal life, especially her son.
"I can take all the criticism, I can deal with that. I'm an adult. But when they started
making comments about him, the mama bear kicked in and I was like, 'Oh, hell no. That's totally
off limits, and how dare you?' I don't really have regrets, but it was a big lesson for
me to not share photos with my son."
Just a few years later, the actress reestablished her career in Hollywood in 2019, when she
landed the part of a journalist in the film Hustlers, which has been praised by critics
as an empowering female heist drama.
When Julia Stiles read the script for the upcoming film, she knew she had to be a part
of it! The movie tells the story of a group of female strippers who con their wealthy
clients, and Stiles portrayed the part of the journalist who interviews them about their
crimes. You might not know this, but the film is in fact based on a true story, inspired
by journalist Jessica Pressler.
To prepare for the role, the actress reached out to Pressler, her character's real-life
counterpart, via Instagram, and they eventually scheduled a playdate for their kids.
"I brought my son over to her apartment, and he proceeded to destroy her living room while
we talked about everything that led to this point.”
There’s no doubt that the romantic comedy, 10 Things I Hate About You, was a complete
game changer when it came to how romance stories were told. Kat’s character proved that female
leads can be strong and outspoken feminists, while Patrick showed that bad boys aren’t
always there to break your heart.
While the actors both chose to go in different directors with their career, Heath looked
to break boundaries in Hollywood and create unforgettable characters through his performances.
Julia chose to be a lot more selective with her acting roles, and focus more on her personal
life and furthering her education.
It’s become a classic go-to romance that will take you on a rollercoaster ride of emotions
and it also birthed two incredibly talented actors. If Heath was still around today, it’s
a guarantee that he would still be stealing scenes and blowing audiences away with his
outstanding performances. Julia Stiles has clearly made a name for herself in the world
of Hollywood, and she’s an inspiration to all actresses out there.