What You Never Knew About Julia Stiles & Heath Ledger In 10 Things I Hate About You

The cast of 1999's "10 Things I Hate About You" was certainly stacked, and at the center of the ensemble were two young actors who wasted no time in winning over audiences. Julia Stiles was just 17 years old when she won the role of Kat Stratford in the rom-com based on William Shakespeare's "The Taming of the Shrew," and Australian actor Heath Ledger was 19 when he was picked to play bad boy Patrick Verona.

Of course, this was only the start of their huge careers. Stiles would go on to star in hits like "Save the Last Dance" and "The Bourne Identity" movies. Ledger drew praise for his work in films like "Lords of Dogtown," "Brokeback Mountain," and "The Dark Knight." His performance in the latter earned him a posthumous Oscar.

But before all of that, Julia Stiles and Heath Ledger would become household names thanks to one of the all-time great romantic comedies — and their undeniable chemistry certainly didn't hold them back. By all accounts, the two had an incredible connection both on and off the screen. When asked about what it was like working with her late co-star in a 2014 chat with Us Weekly, Stiles had nothing but love for Ledger. "Amazing, amazing he was so nice," she said. "He was such a force; he was...even at that age a very very powerful, lovely human being." What's more, Ledger happened to be Stiles' first on-screen kiss. 

Perhaps the most famous scene in "10 Things I Hate About You" — right up there with the "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" performance on the bleachers — is the moment in which Julia Stiles' character recites an heartfelt poem that she wrote for Heath Ledger's character in English class. Incredibly, Stiles filmed the recitation of Kat's poem in just one take. As if that wasn't impressive enough, her tears in that one perfect take were not part of the plan. Rather, they just... happened.  

"They were not intentional," Stiles told Cosmopolitan in 2015. "On some level I knew that I was supposed to be somewhat emotional, because when we did the table read I remember I just said the poem, and I could have been reciting the phone book." Clearly, she nailed it, and audiences have been tearing up along with her ever since. 

While some up-and-coming actors might let their ego get the better of them while watching their co-star nail a scene, Ledger couldn't have been more supportive. As Stiles shared on a 2021 episode of the "PEOPLE in the 90s" podcast, "I remember Heath Ledger was so gracious about the whole thing. I appreciate this so much more now having worked more. He wasn't trying to compete with me. He stood back and he was like, this is your scene." Considering the unapologetically feminist messaging of the movie, it's fitting that Ledger was happy to see Stiles shine in her big moment.