In 10 Things I Hate About You, a hip retelling of Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew, Aussie heartthrob Heath Ledger plays high-school student Patrick Verona--a surly outsider with a mysterious past.
While his character is based on Shrew's Petruchio,Ledger himself was named after another famous literary figure--Wuthering Heights' long-suffering Heathcliff. "My mum is a hopeless romantic," he shrugs, proving it by adding that his older sister is named Katherine after Heathcliff's unrequited love.
At 12, prompted by sister Kathy's interest in acting, Ledger began performing with musical-theater companies in his hometown of Perth. Inspired by his success, at 17, the young actor headed east to Sydney to try his hand at TV, then promptly landed starring parts on two Australian dramas and a sitcom.
By 1997, he was quite popular Down Under but unknown to U.S. audiences. Then came his first American gig--the lead on Fox's short-lived series Roar--an action-adventure romp along the lines of Hercules and Xena.
When the show was canceled, its few (mostly female) fans were left clamoring for more of Ledger. Now, with the release of 10 Things, their wait is over.
What Do You Think Sets 10 Things Apart from All the Other Teen Flicks Out Now? "The fact that you actually care about the characters and you really want Patrick and Kat ( Julia Stiles) to get together. That's extremely rare these days. In the movies I've seen, I didn't really give a shit if anyone got together."
Patrick Goes to Great Lengths to Win Over Kat. He Even Serenades Her in Front of an Entire Stadium. Ever Done Something Like That to Get a Girl? "I think so. I think I failed as well. I didn't take it to the extreme of singing on a football field, I just said stupid things, and the voice in my head went, 'You're a dick.' "
With Your Theater Background, Is It Safe to Assume It Was Really You Singing "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You" in That Serenading Scene? "Yeah. It was fun. I've been singing for a while, but they didn't want me to sing properly--wanted it to be a bit rusty. Not that I'm an amazing singer, but I did have to pull back a little bit. It was the first time I've been able to sing in film or television. I love musicals. I want to do more."
Have Any in Mind? "Well, I'm a big movie-musical fan. I'd want to do a retelling of The Pirate, the Judy Garland movie with Gene Kelly. I like old Judy and Gene."
Musicals Are a Far Cry from Your Warrior/Action-Hero Character on Roar! Was That Fun to Play? "Yes! A heap of fun. I was 17, I had just got out of that stage in my life when I was running around in the backyard with guns, yelling and screaming, and then I got to do it all over again. I spent six months riding on horses, wielding swords and having great love affairs--every week, a new mistress would come in and die on me."
One of Them Was Felicity's Own Keri Russell; She Played Your Wife in the Pilot but Was Killed Off. Why? "It was a big mistake; they shouldn't have let her die. We worked together really well. And after they killed her, they were going through all the possibilities of how they could get her back. Couldn't come up with anything."
Don't Worry, She's Done Just Fine! Your Next Film, Two Hands, Was a Hit at Sundance: What's It About? "I play Jimmy, a young kid who grows up in the drug capital of Australia and accidentally gets involved with the Mafia. He's a nice contrast to Patrick."
--Jeffrey Epstein
April 6, 1999
Back to the list of *Articles* and *Chats* All the information on this page was possible thanks to http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Movies/1012/
