The New York Times did a very sweet profile of Julia Stiles to celebrate the 25th anniversary of 10 Things I Hate About You, the 1999 film which is loosely based on The Taming of the Shrew. Julia played the lead, Kat, and Heath Ledger played Patrick. It was a fun movie but I have not seen it in years. It feels like so many of those ‘90s films are “coming back,” mostly because audiences just miss mid-budget comedies and fun teen movies. 10 Things had a smart script and a great cast, and it was a modest success at the time. Julia was already somewhat famous, but this was the moment when she really “became” very famous. She ran away from fame in a big way but she’s continued to work consistently while also taking breaks to have babies. That’s one of the big reveals in this Times piece – Julia quietly gave birth to her third child five months ago. Some highlights:
Welcoming her third child: “I’m kind of like a bundle of emotions, because I have a 5-month-old baby and I went into directing my first movie. I didn’t really talk about it,” she said of her latest pregnancy, though she was excited to talk about it now, about how being a parent (her older sons are 6 and 2) nourishes her work. “I think that actually being a mom is really great training for being a director. You have to think 10 steps ahead but also be in the present moment. You have to be good at time management. You have to be sensitive to people’s needs and guide them, but also hold a boundary.”
Her early acting experiences: “I was a 17-year-old girl, auditioning for romantic comedies and commercials and TV shows and always being told, ‘You’re too serious.’ You know, ‘Smile. You’re too angsty.’” That changed when she read the “10 Things” script. “It was the first time that I had read a character in a teenage romantic comedy that spoke to me.”
Handling fame: “How did I handle it? I sometimes imploded. I also rebelled against it, probably, by running in the other direction a little bit.” Rather than go all-in on acting to capitalize on whatever momentum she had from “Ten Things,” Stiles attended Columbia University. “I went to college so that I could focus on other things. I would take time off from work … to not give it as much power.” She also worried that one day she would be the only one among her peers who hadn’t gone to college. “I know that I was thinking: I don’t want to be sitting around at 40 with a bunch of studio executives or other people that have had that experience and I didn’t.”
Her work in the Bourne movies: Stiles was in her dorm room freshman year when she was sent pages from “The Bourne Identity” script. All she could think was: Oh my God, I can’t do this because I’m going to miss my final exams. She took the part and lost all her credits from that semester. “But I was at least able to go and do the movie and still graduate.”
She felt professionally unmoored in her 30s. “There’s only so much control that actors have over their own careers,” she said. She wasn’t necessarily worried that she’d never get to act anymore. “But it was like, am I going to only be given opportunities to work on things that I don’t really believe in or don’t really care about? They’re not going to know what to do with me, because I’m not the ingénue anymore and I’m not the mom. So what’s in between?”
I remember when Julia popped up in The Bourne Identity, I was actually surprised that she took a smaller part in an action-drama when, not even three years beforehand, she was being hyped as the next big thing. It was smart for her to go to college, but that absolutely stopped the momentum of her career in those days. I found it interesting when Julia worked with Kirsten Dunst in Mona Lisa Smile, because it felt like they were probably going up for the same roles constantly and they would end up having similar careers. That isn’t what happened though.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
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- The BAFTA Television Awards held at the Royal Festival Hall, London,Image: 432944900, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Julia Stiles, Credit line: – / Wenn / Avalon
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- 44th Toronto International Film Festival – Hustler – Premiere Featuring: Julia Stiles Where: Toronto, Canada When: 08 Sep 2019 Credit: <> **ONLY AVAILABLE FOR SPAIN & USA**,Image: 537096017, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: USA and SPAIN DIRECT SALES ONLY – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon.red – sales@avalon.red London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251, Model Release: no, Credit line: Snapper / Wenn / Avalon
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- Julia Stiles attends the 13th Annual CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute on December 8, 2019 at the Museum of Natural History in New York, New York, USA. photo by Robin Platzer/ Twin Images/ Avalon,Image: 541135871, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: WORLD RIGHTS – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon.red – sales@avalon.red London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251, Model Release: no, Credit line: Robin Platzer/Twin Images / Twin Images / Avalon
I loved 10 Things and always admired Julia as an actress who took time off to go to college. I agree that she probably missed her window to be a mega-star by doing that but she always seemed like the type to be OK with that and to prefer artier projects. I could definitely see her as a producer or director. She certainly has the experience in film sets.
I know people say Nolan doesn’t know what to do with female characters but I *need* him to cast her on any of his future projects, not just because I want to see her in more things, but also so that he can collect all of the 10 Things I Hate About You main leads.
I loooooved Ten Things. I remember seeing it in theatres with friends and getting the VHS eventually. I wasn’t into most typical teen movies but I loved this one. Julia’s character was well-spoken and just different than most other female leads at the time, as she references in this interview. Not to mention Heath Ledger’s performance!
This was one of my 90s faves because I loved Taming of the Shrew growing up! Haven’t watched it since, so I don’t know how it’s held up.
Its held up pretty well actually.
I use the bookstore clip in my Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies classes when I talk about The Feminine Mystique. (😆)
I was 14 when this movie came out and it’s still one of my favorites. I think it’s held up quite well. My nostalgic comfort movies are late 90’s/early 2000’s ones because I had a TV/VCR combo in my teen bedroom and a Blockbuster 10 minutes away. I rewatch 10 Things at least once a year. Other favorites are A Knight’s Tale, High Fidelity, Never Been Kissed, Ever After, Clueless, Bring it On, Pretty Woman, Save the Last Dance, She’s All That, Moulin Rouge, My Best Friend’s Wedding, Serendipity, The Wedding Singer…there are just so many fun ones from that era!
10 Things is a great movie, I probably watch it a few times every year. My late teen/early 20’s kids also love it! (I do get a little sad about Heath every time though. What a loss).
I remember an old interview of hers, where she was asked why her success as a teen rom-com star hasn’t translated into adult roles. She said producers and agents considered that her beauty was too icy and severe, and that she needed a boob job to climb next level. She seemed particularly disturbed by how this has became an inside joke to the point where -allegedly- when filming a movie, she came to find prosthetics displayed for her at hotel rooms and in-set dressing tables. She made scathing remarks on Hollywood and declared she was done with trying to conform to such rules. That might have had something to do with her decision to go college as well. She went on to keep doing Bourne movies and then that part in Dexter; both pretty much memorable roles. She came into age at a time where the room was overcrowded with it girls who filled all the ‘requisites’, so perhaps it was healthier for her to take a look around and go do her own thing.