A secret bet, awkward '90s fashion, and plenty of romance can all be found in the popular 1999 comedy 10 Things I Hate About You. The movie featured stars like Julia Stiles, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and the late Heath Ledger who weren't super famous yet, and told the fun story of two sisters whose father bans them from dating. Stiles has sweet memories of Ledger from the set and the movie was so beloved that there was even a TV adaptation that had one season.
While the movie is a lot of fun to rewatch, especially thanks to the opening scene that features the great Barenaked Ladies song "One Week," it's even more entertaining to learn about behind-the-scenes facts. Fans will definitely want to find out what happened on the set of 10 Things I Hate About You.
10 Things I Hate About You Stars Julia Stiles And Joseph Gordon-Levitt Dated
While Larissa Oleynik's acting career has included several movie roles, her time in 10 Things I Hate About You as spoiled yet secretly sweet Bianca Stratford is her most famous. But when it comes to the relationships that happened behind the scenes of the movie, it's Julia Stiles who was the center of it all.
The director of 10 Things I Hate About You, Gil Junger, was interviewed on Mirá a Quién Encontré, a YouTube series, and said that Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Julia Stiles were in a relationship. Gordon-Levitt played the adorable Cameron James and Stiles played Bianca's sometimes mean and prickly older sister Kat. The characters are totally different from one another, with Cameron being innocent and unsure of himself and Kat believing that she's too cool for school.
According to Grazia Magazine, Gil Junger shared that Stiles and Gordon-Levitt liked each other while they filmed the movie. He said, “She, for a minute or 10, went out with Joseph Gordon-Levitt. They were very, very attracted to each other, which was cool." He added, "I know, right? Isn’t that funny? She’s, like, professing her love to Heath, and she’s in love with the guy who’s waiting in his trailer to shoot the next scene. Yeah, but watching them, it was beautiful how much they enjoyed each other.”
This is interesting to hear about, given the strong love story between Kat and Patrick, including Patrick's grand gesture near the end of the movie when he sings "I Can't Keep My Eyes Off Of You," which Frankie Valli recorded. The characters are both rebellious, which is what initially draws them to each other. The storyline is a great example of the romance trope of making a bet and how often characters will end up falling in love for real.
While Gordon-Levitt's character Cameron has eyes for Bianca and they are the ones who end up falling in love by the end of the movie, it's sweet hearing that he and Stiles had real-life chemistry.
It sounds like the co-stars kept this quiet during filming as it was many years before the director shared the news of their romance and people began hearing about it. It's hard to know if they would have been able to keep this a secret if the movie was filmed today, given how much is shared on social media.
Julia Stiles attended Columbia University and studied English, and she finished college in 2005. She shared in an interview with Rolling Stone in 2001 that she lived on the same dorm floor as Joseph Gordon-Levitt. She said of him, “We’re friends. We say hello to each other.” She didn't mention that she dated her co-star in this interview, though, and it doesn't appear that Stiles has spoken about dating Gordon-Levitt in any interview.
However, Stiles has shared her happy memories of filming 10 Things I Hate About You. She has also explained that she feels a bit awkward watching the movie. The actress told People in 2019,
“If you had your prom video or a home video from high school, I don’t know that I’d watch it. I usually just look away. I’m glad that people enjoyed it and I’m glad that they’re still talking about it. I don’t take that for granted, but I look away pretty quickly.”
Was Julia Stiles Dating Her 10 Things I Hate About You Co-Star Heath Ledger?
According to E! News, Julia Stiles and Heath Ledger dated, and their fellow cast members shared the news on the commentary on the DVD. They also said that before Ledger, Stiles hadn't kissed any actor onscreen. However, Stiles hasn't come out and said that she dated Ledger, and it doesn't appear that he spoke about the relationship before his death, either.
It's sweet to imagine the actors having romantic feelings while the cameras were rolling since their characters feel so strongly for one another. 10 Things I Hate About You is such a great comedy because the characters feel realistic, which can't always be said of teen movies which have a tendency to be over the top or too cheesy. And part of that realism is how Kat and Patrick both resist how they feel and try to seem cool and calm but eventually, they realize that it's okay to care about someone else.
While rewatching 10 Things I Hate About You and knowing that Julia Stiles dated Joseph Gordon-Levitt dated makes the movie even more charming, it's also possible to watch it thinking that Stiles and Ledger would make a great real-life couple as well. But it doesn't appear that fans will ever know if they really did or not.
Was The Cast Of The 10 Things I Hate About You Close?
When interviewed by RogerEbert.com for an oral history, the 10 Things I Hate About You cast shared that they got along while filming and look back on that time with a smile.
Stiles said, "It was such a special summer and we were all so open-hearted. Each actor was excited to be there and not jaded or closed-off."
Andrew Keegan, who played Bianca's crush Joey Donner, talked about what a positive time it was as well. He said, "We just hung out together. What happened on '10 Things' set, carried over to our off-screen relationships. You could talk to Heath about anything: He was wise beyond his years. David, Joey and Julia were all crazy Beastie Boys fans. Gabrielle was just the coolest. David and Joseph supplied the comic relief. Larisa was a delight. It sounds corny, but it was a magical experience."