21 things you probably didn’t know about ’10 Things I Hate About You’

In addition to following the play’s plot, “10 Things I Hate About You” added little details to connect it back to the source material.

For example, the location shifts from the Italian city of Padua to Padua High School, and the story follows the Stratford sisters — a nod to William Shakespeare’s hometown, Stratford-upon-Avon.

Patrick Verona’s last name is also a nod to one of the settings in Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet.” 

Along with these more subtle details, one of the film’s characters, Mandella, is obsessed with Shakespeare and brings him up often. She even gets a Shakespearean “promposal” complete with a themed gown.  

Alongside the film’s rising stars, Allison Janney played the school principal, Ms. Perky.

“10 Things I Hate About You” was released about five months before “The West Wing” premiered on NBC and catapulted Janney into superstardom as C.J. Cregg. 

Since then, Janney has worked on many successful projects, including CBS’ “Mom” and the film  “I, Tonya,” which landed her an Oscar.

In one of the film’s DVD extras, director Gil Junger described the challenges he faced while casting Patrick Verona.

“He needed to be masculine without trying to be masculine. He needed to be smart, he needed to be removed, he needed to be unbelievably charming,” Junger said. “A complicated role.”

After seeing Ledger’s audition, however, Junger said he knew the actor was “special” and that he was sure he was going to be a “movie star.”

In a 2015 interview with Cosmopolitan UK, Stiles said, “I’m so grateful to have been in that movie. It was my first big break, and such a fun part. I have so many good memories from filming, but I don’t really like to watch it back.”

She continued, “If you could imagine a home video of your 17-year-old self, broadcast for all the world to see, you might feel slightly uncomfortable, too. I was such a baby.”

In a similar vein, the actor told People in 2019, “I usually just look away. I’m glad that people enjoyed it and I’m glad that they’re still talking about it. I don’t take that for granted, but I look away pretty quickly.”

In 2019, the film’s production staff told The New York Times that Ledger thought he “bombed” his audition for Patrick Verona. But the production team was totally dazzled by his “star power.”

After the audition, Junger recalled saying to the women on the production team, “Ladies, I have never wanted to sleep with a man, but if I had to sleep with a man, that would be the man. Please cast him immediately.”

Gordon-Levitt reflected on his acting career in a 2020 video for Vanity Fair.

When he discussed “10 Things I Hate About You,” he said he was “not sold” at first on doing a teenage romantic comedy. But his agent encouraged him to try something different with his career.

Ultimately, he said he was glad he took the role, not only because of the success of the film but also because of his experience on set. 

“The experience is actually what I love the most about that whole thing,” he said. “Even if people didn’t like the movie, we had such a good time. All of us hung out, all the time.”

During a 2016 interview with Andy Cohen on Bravo’s “Watch What Happens Live,” Union spoke about her favorite memory of working with the late Ledger.

The actor said that when she first met the Aussie actor he was just a “mysterious 19-year-old.”

“… He told me, and anyone else who was over 21, to go meet him up at the top of the bar, at the top of the hotel at this bar,” she said. “And we walk in and he’s just got this wild hair — and again he’s 19 and he’s got like a dad drink — and he gets up and he was just such a man and such a gentleman.”

She went on to say “the whole cast was a dream” and that they would hang out and eat dinner together while they were filming.

Built in the late 1800s, the real-life structure for the film’s Padua High School was originally supposed to be a luxury hotel financed by the North Pacific Railroad Co. and the Tacoma Land Co.

But after the financial crash of 1893 and a fire a few years later, they had to abandon work on the project.

After sitting empty for years, the building opened as Tacoma High School in 1906 and was later renamed to honor its famed stadium, which is heavily featured in the film. 

Stadium High School, as it’s now called, still operates today, and it even held a screening of “10 Things I Hate About You” in celebration of the film’s 20th anniversary in 2019.

In addition to its star-studded cast, “10 Things I Hate About You” is also fondly remembered for its iconic soundtrack.

It was filled with classic 1990s hits, and throughout the film, the band Letters to Cleo was featured live in several scenes, including at the concert Kat attends and at the school prom.

The film continued to be successful with audiences throughout the 2000s, so ABC Family took advantage of its popularity and turned “10 Things I Hate About You” into a TV series.

The sitcom ran for one season and starred Lindsey Shaw, Meaghan Martin, Ethan Peck, Nicholas Braun, and Dana Davis.

Larry Miller even reprised his role as Kat and Bianca’s father, Dr. Stratford. 

“10 Things I Hate About You” was filmed on-site in Washington, and Seattle’s tourism industry has taken advantage of the movie’s cult following.

To celebrate the film’s 20th anniversary in 2019, Seattle magazine published a “10 Things I Hate About You” dating guide that detailed all the filming locations fans can visit for real-life dates.

Among these spots are Lake Union, where Kat and Patrick went paddle-boating, the Fremont Troll, where Bianca and Cameron went to talk after school, and the Paramount Theatre, where the prom was held. 

The list also included Gas Works Park, but unfortunately, it doesn’t really have a paintball course.

This story was originally published in August 2020 and most recently updated on September 10, 2024.

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