Julia Stiles Looks Back on Her Iconic Poem From 10 Things I Hate About You

We hate the way we can recall all the lines to this poem—not just a little, but recite it all. Julia Stiles went down memory lane to reflect on the iconic sonnet from the Y2K film, 10 Things I Hate About You.

In the film, Stiles stars opposite Heath Ledger as his character (Patrick) is initially paid to take Kat (Stiles) on a date. However, the more he goes out with her, the more he genuinely starts to fall for her, and even though she doesn’t want to admit it, Kat catches feelings too. 

10 Things I Hate About You (1999) pic.twitter.com/bGBLoY3I22

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That is, until she learns about Patrick’s scheme, which leads us to this painfully beloved scene. 

“I hate the way you talk to me / And the way you cut your hair / I hate the / way you drive my car / I hate it when you stare / I hate your big dumb combat boots / And the way you read my mind / I hate you so much that / it makes me sick / And even makes me rhyme / I hate the way you’re / always right / I hate it when you lie / I hate it when you make me laugh / Even worse when you make me cry / I hate it when you’re not around / And the fact that you didn’t call / But mostly I hate the way I don’t hate / you / Not even close / Not even a little bit / Not even at all,” she tearfully reads for a school assignment.

Looking back, the actress told Bustle she did not bring the emotion to the table read but as she rehearsed the scene, the words grew on her.

“We were filming that scene at the end of the summer and the movie was going to be winding down, and it had been such a big experience for me,” she discussed. “It was my first studio movie leading role. I loved that part so much. I loved the rest of the cast. And we’d had such a fun time and it was coming to an end, and it just … the emotion kind of got to me.”

As much as fans love the scene and still quote it to this day it didn’t go off without a hatch the first time it was filmed. Or, the second. According to the Wish You Were Here director, there was a creaking dolly on set causing a glitch in the audio, which meant they had to re-record the poem in a soundbooth.  “I had to re-create the sound of me getting choked up months earlier,” she mentioned.

Over 20 years later, 10 Things I Hate About You remains a staple in millennials’ and Gen Z’s list of top rom-coms for its wit, nostalgia, and hopeless romance, landing itself next to other standouts like Cluess, 13 Going on 30, and How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.

the best romcoms have a number in their name:
13 going on 30
how to lose a guy in 10 days
10 things i hate about you pic.twitter.com/7KR9LDehbE

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As for where Stiles thinks Kat is now, “Kat would be living in the Berkshires in a cabin with no screens and no social media. Baking her own sourdough bread…“I think she would rebel against [being online]. Maybe she does poetry reads at the local coffee shop. She’s probably a lot happier out of high school,” she discussed.

10 Things I Hate About You is available to stream on Hulu and Disney+.