Heath Ledger died on January 22, 2008 at 28 years old, but his impact on the world was indelible. While Ledger is known for a plethora of unforgettable performances, teen rom-com 10 Things I Hate About You remains a favorite of many. And Ledger’s costar, Julia Stiles, has only wonderful memories of the late actor.
In a new interview with E! News, Stiles paid tribute to Ledger, with whom she worked on the popular 1999 movie. “He was amazing,” Stiles told the outlet. “He was such a bright light.” Recalling the Brokeback Mountain star’s special aura, Stiles explained, “He just walked into the room and lit it up.”
Stiles appears to have only positive memories of her time filming 10 Things I Hate About You, which was inspired by William Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew. The cast, which included Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Gabrielle Union, and Andrew Keegan, had “such a good time and were close on that set,” Stiles explained.
“He just walked into the room and lit it up.”
(Image credit: Buena Vista/Getty Images)
10 Things I Hate About You was Stiles’s first major leading movie role, and Ledger was nothing but supportive throughout filming. “He was very kind and generous to me, which you know, when you’re an actress in your first leading role in a big studio movie, you need to feel comfortable with the other person,” the Dexter star said. “And he was very generous that way.”
’10 Things I Hate About You’
Stiles also recalled the iconic scene towards the end of the movie, in which her character Kat reads out a romantic poem about Ledger’s Patrick in class.
“The scene where I read the poem, I did not expect to start crying or tearing up or choking up, whatever,” Stiles told the outlet.”But it just happened because…the movie was coming to an end, the production was coming to an end. And I think I was just so moved by the whole experience.”
Despite being released more than 25 years ago, viewers are still drawn to 10 Things I Hate About You, in large part thanks to the chemistry between Stiles and Ledger. Unsurprisingly, Stiles remains “so happy and thrilled that people are still talking about that movie,” she told E! News. “It was really important to me as my first big role as an actress. It was a part that really spoke to me. And so, to know that audiences are still talking about it 25 years later is what you dream of as a performer.”