In a lot of ways, the late-90s and early-2000s were a golden age for teen movies. After all, during that era movies like Can’t Hardly Wait, She’s All That, Bring It On, Eurotrip, Napoleon Dynamite, and Mean Girls were all released in that timeframe. As a result of all the successful teen movies that came out during that era, many teen and child actors who’ve since been forgotten rose to fame.
When people think of teen stars from the ‘90s and 2000s, actors like Hilary Duff, Lindsay Lohan, Freddie Prinze Jr., and Rachael Leigh Cook are likely to come to mind first. While all of those performers deserve credit for what they achieved, it is a shame that Julia Stiles often isn’t included in their midst.
Best known for a pair of teen movies, 10 Things I Hate About You and Save the Last Dance, at one time Julia Stiles seemed poised to be a big star for many years. Despite that, Stiles has almost entirely faded from the spotlight. That begs an obvious question, what has Julia Stiles been up to since Save the Last Dance was released?
Rise To Fame
Born and raised in New York City, Julia Stiles started acting at the age of 11-years-old when she began working at New York's La MaMa Theatre Company. After jumping from the stage to the big screen, Stiles would appear in films like The Devil’s Own, Wide Awake, Wicked, and I Love You, I Love You Not.
When producers began work on the 1999 film 10 Things I Hate About You, they needed to find a young actor who could play a nuanced character. Fortunately, Julia Stiles was perfect for the role as it was believable that her narrow-minded peers could see her as harsh while viewers could pick up on her tender side.
A couple of years after Julia Stiles became a star, she proved that her initial success was no fluke when Save the Last Dance was released. A massively successful film that focused on a compelling romance and impressive dance sequences, Save the Last Dance reportedly made more than ten times its budget at the box office. On top of the success Save the Last Dance enjoyed upon its release, the film is still beloved to this day which is why hints that there could be a sequel in the future make sense.
Ongoing Career
In a lot of ways, Julia Stiles seemed better positioned for future stardom than the vast majority of her former teen star peers. After all, Stiles always carried herself in such a mature way that even when she was starring in teen movies, it seemed like she would be a natural fit for more dramatic films. Unfortunately, Stiles hasn’t been in the spotlight much over the last two decades.
The main reason why Julia Stiles isn’t a big star these days is that since Save the Last Dance was released, she has starred in a slew of films that tanked at the box office. For example, a lot of passionate film fans haven’t even heard of many of her films including Carolina, Edmond, Gospel Hill, The Cry of the Owl, and Passage. Despite those failures, Stiles has appeared in many memorable films since Save the Last Dance’s release including the Bourne movies, The Prince and Me, Silver Linings Playbook, and Hustlers.
On top of Julia Stiles’ appearances on the big screen, she has landed roles in several TV shows over the years. For example, Stiles currently stars in the show Riviera and in the past she played a recurring character from the popular series Dexter. Even though Stiles has continued to work regularly over the last two decades, she realizes she likely won’t be a mainstream star again. To her credit, Stiles also comes across as completely comfortable with the current state of her career.
Stiles’ Priorities
Even though Julia Stiles has continued to act regularly ever since she first became famous and she seems to greatly enjoy her craft, there are other things in her life that she cares deeply about. For example, after dating Joseph Gordon-Levitt and David Harbour, Stiles met and fell in love with a camera assistant named Preston J. Cook. After the couple got engaged in 2016, they welcomed their son into the world and got married in 2017.
In addition to caring for her own family, it has been very clear that Julia Stiles is willing to work hard to help others for many years now. For example, she supports several charities including Only Make Believe, The Lunchbox Fund, and Food Bank For New York City. Stiles has also traveled to Costa Rica to build homes with Habitat for Humanity and worked with Amnesty International.