Starring Heath Ledger, Julia Stiles, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, 10 Things I Hate About You went on to become one of the most iconic and teen romantic comedies of the '90s. The film was inspired by none other than William Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew, re-imagining the titular shrew as Kat Stratford, the willful and deliberately single sister of local sweetheart Bianca. As Bianca’s multiple love interests seek to win her over, they encounter a formidable obstacle: the girls’ father has forbidden Bianca to date until her sister does. With the prospect of Kat Stratford finding a beau of her own seeming incredibly bleak, the boys enlist a mysterious bad boy, Patrick Verona, to win over the older Stratford sister.
Premiering in 1999, 10 Things I Hate About You was a box office success, raking in over sixty-million— more than four and a half times its original budget. The film helped to launch the careers of lead actors, and has maintained a cult following in the decades since. If you are one of the many who can’t get enough of this teen classic, here are ten things you may not have known about 10 Things I Hate About You.
10 Julia Stiles Dancing on the Table Got Her Cast in Save the Last Dance
Fans of the movie will easily recall the scene in which Kat Stratford, played by Julia Stiles, drunkenly dances on a tabletop. In a very rare display of letting loose around her peers, Kat confidently shows off her moves until she slams her head right into the overhead chandelier. Patrick Verona comes to her rescue, escorting her home. This of course drives their relationship forward after first creating conflict, as Kat leans in to kiss Patrick, and he curves her advances due to her inebriated state. He wins her over again with an impromptu paintball and paddle boat date, a sweet montage that displays the couple’s growing affections.
Though the dance itself was in the script, the specific moves were fully improvised by Julia Stiles. While this casual tabletop dance was relatively short, it caught the eye of Thomas Carter, the director of the 2001 dance film Save the Last Dance. Julia Stiles stars opposite Sean Patrick Thomas in this film about an interracial couple on the south side of Chicago who bond over a mutual passion for dancing.
9 Julia Stiles and Heath Ledger May Have Dated During Filming
A little-known fact about the leading stars of 10 Things I Hate About You is that Julia Stiles and Heath Ledger allegedly dated during filming. The pair were cast on account of their superior on-screen chemistry, prompting fans to speculate if they were romantically involved in real life. While neither star confirmed or denied anything, mixed accounts come from their very own co-stars. While some claim that they can confirm a romance between Stiles and Ledger, director Gil Junger has a different story to tell. He claims that as Kat Stratford tearfully reads her poem to Patrick Verona, the emotions were fueled by the actress’ feelings for a different co-star— Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
8 He Was Also Her First On-Screen Kiss
Though we can’t be certain if Heath Ledger and Julia Stiles ever really did date, we do know that he was her very first on-screen kiss. The actress has praised her co-star’s professionalism and sincere kindness. In addition to being her first on-screen kiss, Stiles told Cosmopolitan magazine in 2011 that Ledger was the best kisser in Hollywood.
She describes her co-star as incredibly gracious, allowing her character to take the spotlight in scenes such as the famous poem recital. Here’s what Julia Stiles had to say about this after Ledger’s untimely death in 2008: “He had his amazing moments in the movie, too. But he was confident enough even just starting out to be like, I'm handing over the stage to you, and I learned way later in life that doesn't always happen." She furthermore added, “He was so nice. He was such a force; he was, even at that age, a very, very powerful, lovely human being.”
7 Gabrielle Union Was 25 When Filming the Movie
Gabrielle Union starred in various teen cult classics of the 90s and 2000s, including She’s All That, Bring It On, as well as 10 Things I Hate About You. Despite many roles playing a teenager, Gabrielle Union was actually twenty-five while filming the latter film, and twenty-six upon its March 1999 release. Like many of the film’s stars, Union looks back at her time on set very fondly, and went on to star in a series of projects in addition to establishing herself as an influential figure in lifestyle and fashion. In fact, Time magazine named Gabrielle Union one of the 100 most influential people in 2020 alongside husband and NBA star Dwayne Wade.
6 This Was Heath Ledger’s First American Film
Before landing the role of Patrick Verona, Heath Ledger was primarily a rising star in his homeland of Australia. His first role was a small one in the 1992 Australian film Clowning Around, followed by work in the television series Sweat, Ship to Shore, Roar and Home and Away. After his 1997 feature film debut in Australian film Blackrock, Ledger landed his first role in an American feature film with 10 Things I Hate About You. This film went on to become his breakout role, leading to a string of successful projects throughout the 2000s. Perhaps one of his most important roles, Ledger starred opposite Jake Gyllenhaal in the 2005 western romance Brokeback Mountain, a film many established A-list contenders shied away from in fear that playing a homosexual character would negatively impact their careers. This role elevated Ledger’s career to new heights, though his career was cut short by his death in 2008. He was posthumously awarded an Academy Award for his portrayal of the Joker in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight.
5 Kat’s Car Actually Belonged to Heath Ledger
One of Kat Stratford’s treasured possessions in the movie is her red Dodge Dart GT, an edgy vehicle for an equally edgy driver. Regardless, she backs her car into Joey Donner’s convertible all the same. The car is featured in a number of scenes, including when she nearly runs over Michael, and when Patrick Verona drives her home (wherein he dodges her kiss).
4 The Set Was a Real High School
Believe it or not, the grandiose structure the film presents as Padua High School is, in fact, an actual high school. The school is Stadium High School in Tacoma, Washington, a name it adopted on account of its famous 15,000-seat stadium, which is featured in the film. Before that, the school was briefly called Tacoma High School, opening as such in 1906. Construction spanned between 1891 and 1904, with the original layout designed by architects Hewitt and Hewitt, who intended to create a French chateau-style luxury hotel. The school has a notable history and claim to fame that far predates the filming of the iconic '90s teen rom-com, with the historical landmark hosting speakers such as the likes of Presidents Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, and Warren G. Harding. The building continues to operate as a fully-functional high school.
3 Kat and Bianca’s Last Name is an Homage to Shakespeare’s Hometown, Stratford-upon-Avon
As mentioned before, this teen film boasts some pretty respectable source material. With the film being based on William Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew, writers paid homage to The Bard with Kat and Bianca’s last name— Stratford. This is a direct nod to the town of Stratford-upon-Avon, Shakespeare’s birthplace and final resting place. The Henley Street Tudor-style home where the famous playwright was born remains open to the public today, as well as a number of other notable locations in Shakespeare’s life.
2 The Cast Became Fast Friends
Few films seem to have fostered such an intimate and friendly environment, such as the set of 10 Things I Hate About You. Multiple cast members have spoken in the years since the films release, detailing the sort of camaraderie the cast enjoyed. David Krumholtz, who played Michael, said the following to Vulture Magazine of his experience on set:
“ Work was fun, and after work we were inseparable. We laughed, we partied, we rapped. Joseph Gordon-Levitt turned me on to Phish, and I turned him on to Wu-Tang. Gabrielle Union had us in stitches, Julia Stiles brought her own brand of Soho-bred artistic intellectualism (at only 17, mind you), Larisa Oleynik’s laughter filled the room, and we marveled at the tonedness of Andrew Keegan’s muscles (a great sport!).”
Julia Stiles similarly praised her co-star, Heath Ledger, acknowledging that his humility in sharing the screen was something she would later realize to be rare in Hollywood. Joseph Gordon-Leviit similarly shared warm sentiments when reflecting on this early role, “The experience is actually what I love the most about that whole thing. Even if people didn't like the movie, we had such a good time. All of us hung out, all the time." Knowing that the cast had such a special dynamic somehow makes the movie even more enjoyable.
1 The Film is Named After One of the Screenwriter’s High School Diary Entries
The film is called 10 Things I Hate About You, but Kat Stratford's poem doesn’t strictly limit itself to just ten things she hates about Patrick Verona. This is because the title is based less on the poem scene itself and more so on the real life diary entry of screenwriter Karen McCullah. She reveals that in high school she penned a diary entry about her then-boyfriend, listing the things about him that made her unhappy. Years later, she channeled this into inspiration for the classic film.