Let’s be honest. If you were a teenager in 1999, two things kept you up at night: Y2K and wondering if Heath Ledger and Julia Stiles had a real-life romance. Anyone can cheer up a good celebrity relationshipbut there was something special about these two.
To begin with, it’s fair to say that we all have a soft spot for 10 things I hate about you. The two shared such strong on-screen chemistry that it made us root for them in the film. Y in real life.
Beyond its on-screen synergy, this film showcased two glittering Hollywood careers in their infancy: a witty, well-spoken young actress born into stardom due to her New York City roots and a young Australian heartthrob with such potential. big as his personality, tragically undercut. too short.
First, the movie that put Ledger and Stiles on the map:
The staying power of ’10 Things I Hate About You’
10 things I hate about you begins when Cameron James (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) asks Bianca Stratford (Larisa Oleynik), sister of Kat Stratford (Stiles), on a date. Informed of the new rule established by the Stratford sisters’ father (Larry Miller), he realizes that he must find a suitor for Kat if he wants Walter’s blessing to date Bianca.
Unfortunately, Cameron casts quintessential bad boy Patrick Verona (Ledger). With the help of Michael (David Krumholtz), Patrick finally agrees, only to receive a strong rejection from Kat. However, after secretly discovering Kat’s passions, the tide turns for Patrick.
On the other hand, Cameron continues to pursue Bianca, who at the same time falls prey to idiot Joey (Andrew Keegan). They all attend a party where Kat begins to open up to Patrick. They almost kiss until Patrick pulls away from her, causing Kat to storm out, completely enraged. Cameron’s efforts are failing. while Bianca pays attention to Joey.
However, she soon realizes what a real jerk Joey is and asks Cameron to drive her home. The two kiss when Cameron admits his feelings for her.
In a whirlwind of emotions, Joey pays Patrick to take Kat to prom so she can ask Cameron out. Frustrated that Cameron hasn’t asked her to the prom, Bianca agrees to go with Joey. Kat admits to Bianca that she slept with Joey freshman year and warns her of her advances.
Bianca reminds Kat that she can make her own decisions, but she still leaves with Cameron. Kat agrees to go with Patrick. At prom, Joey is upset when Bianca reveals her plot to have sex on prom night. He then reveals her cash proposal to Patrick, crushes Kat and makes her leave.
Joey punches Cameron, but Bianca punches him for his efforts. Bianca heals Cameron’s wound with a kiss. The next day, Kat and Bianca are fine again. Bianca starts dating Cameron.
Kat reads her own version of Shakespeare’s Sonnet 141 as part of homework, a poem appropriately titled “10 Things I Hate About You,” where she reveals she is in love with patrick despite your mistake. Patrick surprises her with a guitar that he paid for with Joey’s money. He confesses his love for Kat. The two kiss, and everything is fine.
The unforgettable chemistry of two young stars
There is one thing that separates 10 things I hate about you of the other Dawson’s Creek-Cheesy esque connotations of teenage love: Stiles and Ledger’s on-screen chemistry. The two caught fire in this movie, enough to spark rumors of a real-life romance between the two.
Many fans believed that the two had a secret relationship that they hid from the public. The more you watched them perform, the more credible the rumors became. However, the film’s director, Gil Junger, put down the rumours, as mentioned in a quote in Thingsclaiming that he did not believe the two were together behind the scenes.
Even though the two were never romantically involved, it never stopped Stiles from reminiscing about his fond memories with the young actor, on and off screen.
In one of his favorite memories, Stiles recalls a scene where Junger motioned Ledger up and down the steps while filming their hilarious musical performance in 10 things I hate about you.
She remembers Ledger running so fast that the guards couldn’t keep up with him. A nurse had to check on one of them for fear of a heart attack, trying to keep up with the young actor. With this, we warmly remember Ledger’s short but brilliant career and the explosiveness of the two in this memorable film.