The Director Of “10 Things I Hate About You” Recalled How A Then-Unknown Heath Ledger Beat Out 253 Other Actors For The Lead Role

I feel I most likely converse for lots of people once I say we aaaaall keep in mind the primary time we watched Heath Ledger in 10 Things I Hate About You.

The late actor’s efficiency as Patrick Verona within the 1999 Shakespeare-inspired teen film is, IMHO, one of many best rom-com performances of all time. And what makes it much more magical to look again on is the way it marked the start of his unimaginable Hollywood performing profession, which, as we now know, was tragically minimize quick when he died in 2008 on the age of 28.

Regardless of having already made a reputation for himself in numerous initiatives in his residence of Australia, Heath’s efficiency in 10 Issues I Hate About You was extensively thought-about his world breakout, propelling him into future initiatives like A Knight’s Story, Monster’s Ball, and, in fact, Brokeback Mountain — the latter of which earned him his first Oscar nomination in 2006.

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Now, in a brand new interview with Entertainment Weekly, the director of 10 Issues I Hate About You, Gil Junger, recalled how Heath’s plain “magnetism” landed him the lead position, regardless of, on the time, being a comparatively unknown actor from the opposite facet of the world.

“Actors always wanted to know, ‘What did he do? What did he do to make you cast him?’” the director mentioned, recalling that Heath was “magic.” “The truth of the matter is, we were casting and he walked into the room, and I’m very picky. I had already read 253 guys — 253 guys!” he went on. “And then Marcia Ross, the head of Disney casting, said, ‘Look, this next kid, I don’t know him. It’s a favor for an agent I respect. So if he’s no good, just stop it and send him on his way.’”

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Because the story goes, it didn’t take Gil lengthy to appreciate that that they had a rising star on their palms, saying: “This is the God’s honest truth, on my parents’ life: He took three steps into the room, and my thought was, ‘If this fucker can read English, I’m going to cast him.’”

Recalling Heath’s vitality, Gil described Heath as “an incredible young man.” “He just had a magnetism unlike I’ve ever felt. It was undeniable,” the filmmaker recalled. “If there’s old souls, he must have been centuries old because he just had a way about him that — he was only 17, and yet he just was so confident and loving and wanted to be the best he could be.”

Together with now-well-known people like Joseph Gordon-Levitt, David Krumholtz, and Gabrielle Union, Heath starred within the film reverse Julia Stiles, who performed his love curiosity Kat. Notably, one in all my favourite scenes within the movie was when Heath’s character, Patrick, serenades Kat with a marching band — immediately iconic.

Adorably, Gil remembered Heath’s first day on set, proper right down to the main points of his outfit. “He was wearing Frye boots from the ’70s, and then he had on these worn-out olive green leather pants, a white leather belt, some crazy shirt, and a hat like a beanie,” he informed EW. “And I looked at him and I thought, ‘God, he’s cool.’ And then I also thought, ‘If I wore one of those pieces of clothing, I would be the laughing stock of everyone that knows me.’”

“He just had this magic where you could just throw anything on him, maybe even paint it, and he’d be amazingly cool, because the kid you saw in the movie, that’s who he was,” he added. “He was just an amazing human.”

One of many best to ever do it! You’ll be able to learn the full interview here.

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