Julia Stiles Spoke So Warmly of Working With Heath Ledger, and We’re *Very* Emotional

She describes Ledger as "so gracious."

Julia Stiles, star of the iconic 1999 romcom 10 Things I Hate About You, said that her late co-star Heath Ledger was “so gracious” during their time working on the film. Stiles, who appeared on the most recent episode of the People in the ’90s podcast, recalled that Ledger, who passed away at age 28 in 2008, “wasn’t trying to compete with me.”

I remember Heath Ledger was so gracious about the whole thing. I appreciate this so much more now having worked more, Stiles said, specifically talking about the scene in which her character Kat recites that poem.

She continued, “He stood back and he was like, this is your scene. When they did his reaction shot, he didn’t well up. He didn’t go, ‘Okay, now I have to do something with my side of the camera.’ He was just like, ‘That was beautiful and this is your scene.'”

Stiles credits Ledger’s confidence and comfortability in his acting skills for him being able to let others shine in a scene.

“You know, he had his amazing moments in the movie, too—the singing and dancing and running up and down those steps,” she continued. “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 that doesn’t always happen.”

During a 2019 appearance on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, the Riviera star said that Ledger was “just phenomenal” when they shot the scene in which Ledger’s character Patrick sings “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” to Kat in the football stands. “Running up and down those stadium steps, and nobody knew he had this amazing voice, and he just went full out. And I got to watch it,” Stiles recalled.

Welp, looks like we have to go cry and watch 10 Things I Hate About You for the millionth time.

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