After nearly two decades passed, Julia Stiles revived a legendary sequence from one of her most cherished films. Earlier this week, at the Mash-Up Americans Book Festival in New York City, the 42-year-old actress performed a pivotal scene from the 1999 adolescent film 10 Things I Hate About You, which was a contemporary retelling of Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew.
The video, which was uploaded to The Greene Space, the Instagram account of the festival venue, features Stiles, who in the film portrayed disgruntled older sister Kat Stratford, reciting the love sonnet she composed for the renowned Heath Ledger as Patrick Verona. Ledger passed away at the age of 28 in 2008.
While wearing a floral silk bolero and tying back her blond hair, the Hustlers star recited the poem’s lines. However, the most moving lines were those in the conclusion, as Stiles became visibly moved as she conveyed the sentiments of the heartbroken adolescent.
“However, what I despise most is the manner in which I do not harbor any animosity towards you, not even remotely, not even marginally, not at all,” Stiles sang, to resounding applause from the audience.
Stiles reminisced on the People in the ’90s podcast in 2021 about how “kind” Ledger was to her throughout the iconic scene.
In retrospect, she stated, “He had no intention of competing with me.” “He stood back and he was like, this is your scene.”
Although some emerging talents might have felt marginalized, Ledger exhibited the exact opposite attitude.
“He simply said, ‘That was lovely, and this is your moment,'” Stiles recalled, praising Ledger’s outstanding performance in the film. “He also had his share of incredible moments in the film, including the singing, dancing, and running up and down those stairs.” However, he was self-assured enough to say, “I’m handing you the stage,” even though he was just beginning his career. I discovered much later in life that this is not always the case.
