Julia Stiles Reflects On The Legacy Of '10 Things I Hate About You,' 25 Years Later

LOADINGERROR LOADINGJulia Stiles is taking a heartfelt look back at her breakout role in “10 Things I Hate About You” in honor of the movie’s 25th anniversary.In a Yahoo Entertainment interview published Thursday, Stiles said appearing in the beloved coming-of-age comedy was a “refreshing” experience given the “unapologetic” attitude of her character, Katarina “Kat” Stratford.

Advertisement “That was my first big movie,” she explained.“I was a 17-year-old auditioning actress.

So I’m trying to figure out who I am as a person, and then also getting all this criticism and feedback from the movie industry.”Prior to appearing in “10 Things I Hate About You,” Stiles had roles in films like “Wicked,” for which she beat out Katie Holmes, and “The Devil’s Own,” starring Brad Pitt and Harrison Ford.Though she had yet to cement herself as a bankable Hollywood commodity at the time of her “10 Things” casting, she’d already felt the sting of sexist criticism and was eager to push back.“A lot of it was like, ‘You’re too serious,’ ‘You [need to] lighten up.’ You know, trying to be more appealing sexually, whatever,” recalled the actor.

“That can be really disheartening, especially as a teenager.”Heath Ledger, left, and Julia Stiles appear in "10 Things I Hate About You."Archive Photos via Getty ImagesAdvertisement Released in 1999, “10 Things I Hate About You” is a teen-centric, Seattle-based retelling of William Shakespeare’s “The Taming of the Shrew.” The movie follows Padua High School student Cameron James (played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt), who finds himself smitten with Bianca Stratford (Larisa Oleynik), one of the school’s most popular girls.Unfortunately for Cameron, Bianca’s father has forbidden her from dating until Kat, her bookish older sister, does so first.So Cameron enlists the town’s bad boy, Patrick Verona (Heath Ledger), to win Kat over.In what’s become the movie’s m...