Julia Stiles was one of the most familiar faces of the late '90s and early 2000's, thanks
to starring roles in hits like Save The Last Dance and 10 Things I Hate About You.
But then she pretty much disappeared from the spotlight.
Why?
Here's are some reasons why Hollywood won't cast Julia Stiles anymore.
Critical punching bag
After starring in the hit 10 Things I Hate About You, Stiles appeared in the romantic
drama Down to You alongside Freddie Prinze Jr., a film whose only memorable scene involves
Prinze Jr….
drunkenly making friends with a spider?
"Greatest accomplishment since I last saw you."
"Making friends with a spider."
Critics pounced, with Entertainment Weekly giving it an F, and The New York Post calling
it both "stinko" and "brain-dead."
And reviews were similarly grim for follow up films A Guy Thing, The Prince & Me, and
Mona Lisa Smile.
Box office poison
We know what you're thinking: but Stiles had a recurring role in the wildly popular Jason
Bourne films!
Well, thank goodness for the hotness of Matt Damon, because otherwise Stiles has kind of
been box office poison.
In fact, nearly all of her other films since 10 Things I hate About You have struggled
to break even, with many becoming outright bombs, like the aforementioned Down to You
and A Guy Thing.
Ain't nobody got time for that.
Typecast
Her breakout hit, 10 Things I Hate About You, was a modernization of the Shakespeare play
Taming of the Shrew.
And since it was a hit, Stiles was flooded with offers to do even more Shakespeare.
First was 2000's Hamlet, and then in 2001, O, an adaptation of Othello.
She even played Viola in a production of Twelfth Night as part of New York City's famous Shakespeare
in the Park series.
For an actor, there's nothing better than Shakespeare, but it didn't exactly convince
Hollywood execs that she had the range to take on other kinds of roles.
The Bell Jar trap
Back in 2007, Variety reported that Stiles would produce and star in a much-anticipated
adaptation of Sylvia Plath's beloved novel The Bell Jar.
Five long years later, Stiles finally gave up on it, saying in an interview with Gothamist:
"For years, I had the rights to the book, I had commissioned a script for it, we never
got the script to the right place, because it's obviously a great book and we wanted
to do it justice.
I kind of had to let it go because it was taking so long…
To me it's a no-brainer, but I think people who have to give money for movies, they didn't
see that it would find an audience, or they thought it was too dark.
So…
I tried, but maybe there will be some incarnation of it."
Indeed, there will be an incarnation of The Bell Jar — just not with her in the lead.
Deadline reported in July 2016 that The Bell Jar will now be directed by Kirsten Dunst,
in her directorial debut, and star Dakota Fanning.
Behind the scenes
After the straight-to-DVD release of The Cry of the Owl, Stiles moved on to what she called
the "second phase" of her career, editing music videos, moving behind the camera to
direct short films, and teaming up with online creators.
All this kept her busy, but it didn't exactly do too much for her star power in Hollywood.
Stiles is well aware of the problem, telling The New York Times, "I think audiences, producers
and directors included, develop crushes on actors (actresses in particular) and then
lose interest and move on to the next one.
There are a handful of actors who sustain interest because it's exciting to watch them
get better at what they do.
I want to be one of those actors."
Tough time with TV
Stiles' career showed signs of life again in 2010 when she landed a pretty epic arc
on the fifth season of Showtime's popular TV drama Dexter.
The role won her rave reviews and accolades, including a Golden Globe and Emmy nomination.
But despite the newfound fandom, Stiles was never quite able to translate that into more
high profile roles.
Instead, she was simply relegated to a handful of mediocre television movies and the obscure
series Blue, which you might not have even heard of.
Had she struck while the TV iron was hot, her so-called "second phase" might have been
much, much bigger.
How she can turn it around
Stiles has one big thing going for her: fans still love her and seem to want her to succeed.
That's why audiences were so excited to see her unexpectedly pop up in Silver Linings
Playbook, and reprise her role in The Bourne films.
The trick for Stiles seems to be finding the right vehicle to remind people why the fell
in love with her to begin with all those years ago.
And, hey, if all else fails, she could cash in on the nostalgia wave that Hollywood is
currently riding.
11 Things I Hate About You, anyone?
Thanks for watching!
Click the Nicki Swift icon to subscribe to our YouTube channel.
Plus check out all this cool stuff we know you'll love, too!