Julia Stiles and the late Heath Ledger famously starred in the 90s hit 10 Things I Hate About You. Directed by Emmy nominee Gil Junger, the romantic comedy is considered a breakout film for both Stiles and Ledger. Since then, the two actors had gone on to bigger things with Stiles continuing to headline other movies, though she does have some career regrets, and Ledger gaining critical acclaim for his work, especially his Oscar-winning performance as DC Comics villain Joker in The Dark Knight (the actor was given the award posthumously following his unexpected death).And although it seems Stiles and Ledger never crossed paths again professionally, rumors that they had been dating were rife at one point. Perhaps, it’s because of their undeniable chemistry onscreen. Or perhaps, there’s more to the story.
Did Julia Stiles Have A Crush On Heath Ledger?
In the film, Stiles played the ‘shrewd’ older sister who gets set up with a mysterious bad boy played by Ledger so that her more outgoing younger sister (Larisa Oleynik) can finally date too. Early on, it seemed that Ledger and Stiles’ characters would never click. It was even incredibly obvious that Ledger’s character was just asking Stiles out because he was paid to do it.
Behind the scenes though, it was a different story. In fact, the cast, which includes Emmy winner Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Oscar winner Allison Janney, and Gabrielle Union, was getting along quite nicely. More importantly, the attraction between Stiles and Ledger was evident from the very start. This was apparent while they were still considering other pairings for the movie.
“We screen-tested Josh Hartnett, Eliza Dushku, Heath and Julia,” Marcia Ross, the film’s casting director, recalled. “But Julia and Heath just had the best chemistry together.” It seems it didn’t matter to her that Ledger was still very new to Hollywood at that time (this was his first US role). Oleynik auditioned for Stiles’ part, but it seems Stiles and Ledger just clicked better on camera.
Did Heath Ledger And Julia Stiles Ever Date?
Towards the end of the movie, Stiles and Ledger do end up together (even after Stiles’ character learned that Ledger was paid to go out with her at first). And because the two made their pairing look so natural, it was easy for fans to imagine that the two had dated while working on a film.
While Ledger and Stiles did become close while making the film, there are mixed accounts regarding their relationship behind the scenes. For instance, some of their co-stars claimed the romance between them was real. However, Junger himself didn’t think that was the case.
“It wasn't me, certainly, but it wasn't Heath either,” the director remarked while speaking about who Julia was pining after, as quoted in the YouTube series Mirá a Quién Encontré (Look Who I Found).
At the same time, it seemed like Stiles and Ledger were more of close friends than anything else.
Did Julia Stiles And Heath Ledger Have Their First Kiss?
Whether Stiles really dated Ledger or not, the late actor was Stiles’ very first on-screen kiss. Prior to that, she had only played supporting roles in The Devil’s Own, Wide Awake, and I Love You, I Love You Not. The actress also played a disturbing teenager seducing her own father in Wicked. However, Stiles never really had any romantic scenes in her film.
It was in 10 Things I Hate About You that Stiles was finally able to take part in a proper love story. And it seems for the actress, she couldn’t have asked for a better onscreen partner than Ledger. At that time though, it seems that Stiles didn’t really think much of her onscreen kiss with Ledger since she was secretly interested in a different co-star.
Did Joseph Gordon-Levitt Date Julia Stiles?
In the film, Gordon-Levitt was supposed to be interested in Stiles’ sister (Oleynik’s Bianca). Behind the scenes though, it was really Stiles and the actor who started falling for each other.
In fact, Stiles was reportedly thinking of Gordon-Levitt when her character delivered that tear-jerking poem scene.
“They were very, very attracted to each other,” Junger recalled of Stiles and Levitt during the film’s production. “She’s professing her love to [onscreen boyfriend Heath Ledger] and she’s in love with a guy waiting in his trailer to shoot the next scene.” Stiles later praised Ledger for how he handled the scene once the camera panned over to him.
Later on, Stiles herself confirmed that she and Gordon-Levitt dated briefly. By the time they stayed in the same dorm (both attended Columbia University), however, the romance between them had already fizzled out. “We’re friends,” the actress simply remarked during an interview. “We say hello to each other.”
Meanwhile, Stiles also revealed that she and Ledger didn’t stay in touch after they wrapped up the film. A friend had informed her of the actor’s passing years later, which left her shocked. And while Stiles was moving, she discovered that Ledger had left her a sweet memento from their time together on set.
“I dug up this old note that he had written on this hotel stationery because we were all staying at the Sheraton in Tacoma, Washington, and it said — I forget the beginning of the quote, but it’s like, ‘Dance like you’ve never heard the music and love like you’ve never been hurt.’ It was so sweet,” the actress recalled. “I almost cried. That was his goodbye note to me.”
