Heath Ledger played the high school bad boy named Patrick Verona in “10 Things I Hate About You,” who makes a deal to take Kat Stratford (Julia Stiles) to a dance. It’s a hard task since Kat doesn’t date and puts off everyone with her attitude, including her teachers.
The “Taming of the Shrew” adaptation is full of unexpected decisions. Seattle is its setting, yet Ledger kept his Australian accent for a relatable reason.
’10 Things I Hate About You’ Director Said Heath Ledger’s Accent Was ‘Magical’
Director Gil Junger talked to PEOPLE about the making of the 1999 movie. He knew immediately that the Oscar winner was the perfect leading man after he saw 2,000 men read.
“[Heath] walked in the room in one of these big casting sessions … I swear on my parents’ life, I thought, ‘If this [expletive] can speak English, I’m going to cast him,'” Junger, 71, said. “He just had an energy that was undeniable.”
The Walt Disney Company offered to pay for Ledger’s dialect coach to prepare for the role. “And I said, ‘Why does he need a dialect coach?’ ‘To speak with the American accent,'” the director asked. “I just paused for a second and I went, ‘Why would you possibly want him to speak with an American accent when his accent is so magical?'”
They made the character Australian to keep his accent. Ledger explained why he took the role in an interview that was featured on the movie’s DVD.
“I always wanted to play Hamlet, but I’d never play Hamlet until I was ready,” he said. “And the other character in Shakespeare works is Petruchio that I play first before Hamlet, and this is the closest I had to playing Petruchio so far.”
The actor died in 2008 before he could play Hamlet. His “10 Things I Hate About You” costar is dedicating a dance to him on “Dancing with the Stars” season 35.
Julia Stiles’ ‘Dancing with the Stars’ Performance References the Movie for Heath Ledger
The Oct. 20 episode of “Dancing with the Stars” will have each pair dedicate a dance to a loved one. Stiles, who is dancing with Ezra Sosa, will perform a contemporary piece to Frankie Valli’s “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You.”
This is the same song Patrick sings on the football field to Kat, asking her to go to the dance. She accepts, and he gets chased off the bleachers. Stiles said, according to PEOPLE, that she’s been emotional leading up to the live show.
“I know from watching the show how emotional Dedication Night is. It’s always very personal stories. But I thought, ‘Oh, I’m distanced enough from it. The movie was so many years ago,’” the actress explained. “But something about watching clips from that movie, seeing our pictures, hearing our voices is bringing up a lot.”
Stiles later said, “He lives on because his performance in that film was so incredible.” A big reason why Patrick is memorable is because of the man who played him and how he influenced the film.
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‘10 Things I Hate About You’: Why Heath Ledger Has an Australian Accent as Patrick