Julia Stiles is the queen of 1990’s teen romcoms. She ruled the big screen with romantic comedies like 10 Things I Hate About You, Save the Last Dance, and Down to You. She’s a versatile actress of great talent and will always be remembered as one of Hollywood’s icons.
She is, of course, much more than her impressive portfolio. Stiles has a lot of things going on for her, from personal projects to business accomplishments. So here are ten things you probably didn’t know about the one and only Julia Stiles.
1. Julia Stiles Secretly Dated Her Co-star(s) From 10 Things I Hate About You
10 Things I Hate About You is one of the most charming yet emotional romcoms of all time. The movie catapulted some of the greatest Hollywood actors to stardom, from Stiles to Heath Ledger and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. But there were a lot of romantic things going on behind the scenes, not just in the movie. Stiles allegedly dated both co-stars, Ledger and Gordon-Levitt, in real life too. Resources revealed that Stiles had a short fling with Gordon-Levitt. But when it comes to her and Ledger, there are fewer details. One thing’s for sure; their chemistry was out of this world.
2. Heath Ledger Was Her First On-Screen Kiss
Whether or not Ledger and Stiles dated in real life is irrelevant right now. The great Heath Ledger is no longer with us, but his legacy lives to this day. One of the cutest things about Stiles and Ledger’s time together is that he was actually her first on-screen kiss. Reportedly, the poem scene was emotional for everyone on set, and Stiles’ tears were real and unscripted.
3. Julia Stiles Had Many Iconic Roles in TV Shows and Movies
Julia Stiles has gone down in history thanks to her roles in legendary romcoms. But her talent certainly wasn’t wasted on only one genre. She’s had many other impressive projects in her career. Some of the most notable movies include Mona Lisa Smile, Hustlers, The Omen, the Bourne franchise, Silver Linings Playbook, Hamlet, State and Main, The God Committee, and Carolina, to name a few. She also found success on television with TV series like Dexter, The Lake, Riviera, Blue, and more.
4. She Disappeared From Hollywood at the Height of Her Fame
Julie’s career trajectory took a surprising turn when she took a break from acting at the height of her fame. She left the glamorous life in Hollywood for academia. According to the actress, this experience helped keep her grounded. She explained, “Academic professionals don’t really give a s*** about me being in a movie or having to go to the MTV Movie Awards. But then also people in the entertainment industry don’t really care about the university. That helped me a lot.”
5. She Appeared on Broadway
Julie Stiles is not just a movie star, she also has experience in theater, better yet, Broadway. The actress made her Broadway debut in 2009 with a role in the play Oleanna alongside Bill Pullman. She has since gone on to build an impressive stage career.
6. Julia Stiles Is Married With Two Children
Stiles is also thriving in her personal life. She’s happily married to camera assistant Preston J. Cook. They met while working together on Blackway. Stiles and Cook have two kids together.
7. She Graduated From Columbia University
When Stiles left Hollywood to pursue academic studies, she chose the prestigious Columbia University. She graduated with a degree in English literature in 2005. On top of that, the actress received a John Jay Award in 2010 from the Columbia College Alumni Association for her professional accomplishment.
8. She Had to Give Up Veganism For Health Reasons
Like many celebrities, Julia Stiles also decided to stop eating meat at one point and go fully vegan. However, veganism didn’t have a positive effect on her health, but quite the contrary. She explained, “I gave it up. I became really badly anemic… it’s not healthy if you can’t do it right, so I just stopped it.”
9. 10 Things I Hate About You Got Her Cast in Save The Last Dance
Julia Stiles did a phenomenal job portraying the rebellious and witty feminist teenager on 10 Things I Hate About You. There were many times in the movie when Stiles proved how talented she is. But one of the most talked about scenes was definitely the dancing-on-the-table scene. The actress took it upon herself to improvise the movies, and her work paid off. This scene got her cast in another iconic rom-com from the 90s, Save The Last Dance, where Stiles played an up-and-coming professional dancer.
10. Julia Stiles Made a Big Career Shift in 2006
Even though she made a name for herself with rom-com roles, Stiles showed the world that she can do so much more than that. She made a huge career shift with a remake of the 1976 horror classic, The Omen. This marked her entry into the horror genre, proving once again the versatility of Julia Stiles’ talent.
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