Julia Stiles shot to fame after appearing in a number of teen films. Her breakout role was in the 1990 movie 10 Things I Hate About You. Her portrayal of the character of Kat in that film, and her subsequent performances in Down To You and Save The Last Dance saw her win Teen Choice awards for her performances.
The films were popular amongst fans, and Save The Last Dance, (2002) has gone on to become a cult classic. But she’s not proud of her work in the movie. Today, Julia says she finds most of her early performances hard to watch.
Despite her feelings, her work in those films secured the actress a huge fan base, who eagerly awaited her next appearances on the big screen. Julia had Hollywood at her feet. So why didn’t she carry on making the big time?
'10 Things I Hate About You' Wasn’t Julia Stiles' First Big Role
Julia's breakout film wasn’t her first Hollywood role: Starting out as a young actress, she appeared in shows like Ghost Rider and had a role in The Devil’s Own, which also starred big names Harrison Ford and Brad Pitt.
She felt drawn to the strong character of Kat in the script of 10 Things I Hate About You, which was based on Shakespeare’s play, The Taming of the Shrew.
Her Love For Shakespeare Dictated The Next Roles She Chose
Today Stiles says she didn’t plan to follow up her big break with more work by the Bard, but that’s the way it happened. She went on to appear opposite Ethan Hawke in Hamlet and then worked on O, an adaptation of Othello, in which she starred alongside Mekhi Pilfer and Josh Hartnett.
However, those roles were so different from the others which had cemented her fame that they didn't sit well with the fans. Although box office figures dwindled, Julia Stiles didn’t see any problem with her selection of roles. In a 1999 interview with Entertainment Weekly, she defended her choices, saying “I wasn't going to turn down the acting experiences of my life."
Fans Think Her Decisions Negatively Affected Her Career
Considering that Stiles had worked mainly in the teen market, the roles she went on to play didn’t exactly resonate with her fans, or with Hollywood.
The Shakespeare roles weren’t the only thing that affected her career: At the height of her fame, Stiles made the decision to leave it all behind and go back to her studies. Fans couldn’t believe it when their favorite actress stepped away from the limelight and signed up at Columbia University. In 2005, she graduated with a major in English Literature.
The actress has spoken about the fact that while college might have slowed her Hollywood success, it certainly helped her to stay grounded. Perhaps she took some advice from her sister, Jane Stiles, who also acts yet hasn't been in the spotlight nearly as much as Julia.
When Stiles Returned To Hollywood She Was More Selective
Julia has often spoken about how in her early career, she tended to grab whatever was available. And that while some of it worked for her, a lot of it didn’t.
In an interview, she talked about how one-dimensional both interviewers’ questions and her answers were in the early years of her career.
She told about how interviews were almost always along the lines of the men she found appealing, or her exercise regime. Looking back now, Julia says she’s embarrassed about her answers, adding “I also think nobody should be quoted in print before the age of 30.”
Fans Were Happy To See Julia Re-Emerge
When she returned to Hollywood, Julia opted to be more selective about her work and took on more challenging roles. And although she wasn't always working on mainstream movies, she found the work to be more artistically fulfilling.
She admits that it's been harder to find the right roles as she's become older, but has continued working, building up an impressive resume.
Julia Has Stepped Into Mainstream Roles
Moving into mainstream roles by the millennium, Julia co-starred with Matt Damon in the popular Bourne series: The Bourne Identity (2002), The Bourne Supremacy (2004), and The Bourne Ultimatum (2007).
In 2011, Julia's fans were delighted when she appeared on Dexter. The actresses' performance in Season 5 of Showtime's hit series earned her Emmy and Golden Globe nominations.
She's kept herself busy, with prominent roles in The Great Gilly Hopkins (2015), Misconduct (2016), Jason Bourne (2016), the dramatic thriller Riviera (2017), Trouble (2017), Hustlers (2019), and The God Committee (2021).
In the near future, she'll be appearing in the Canadian TV dramedy series The Lake. She's also attached to the family drama Chosen Family, which is written and directed by actress Heather Graham.
Julia Also Started A Family
Julia is happily married to cameraman Preston J. Cook, who she met in November 2014 when they were both working on the Blackway project. In September 2017 the couple welcomed their first child, a son they named Strummer Newcomb Cook.
In January 2022, their second baby, Arlo was born. It seems that although Julia Stiles' route might have been unconventional, it's taken her to where she really wanted to be all along.