10 Thing I Hate About You: 8 Things You Didn't Know About The Movie

Summary Movie draws inspiration from Shakespeare & includes Shakespearean references in storyline and dialogue.

Real band, Letter To Cleo, plays in several key scenes, adding to movie's cool and authentic vibe.

Heath Ledger chose iconic song for memorable scene, showcasing his charm, humor, and acting range in the film.

10 Things I Hate About You has remained a favorite movie of rom-com fans for decades with the movie's production delivering one of the genre's best entries from the 1990s. The movie tells the story of interconnected romances in among various high school students with the central focus being on bad boy Patrick (Heath Ledger) who is persuaded to ask out the brash and angsy Kat (Julia Stiles) who has shown no interest in the dating scene. The movie is filled with romance, humor, and fun characters that make it a great movie to revisit.

Movies like Anyone But You clearly draw inspiration from 10 Things I Hate About You, continuing to show the movie's impact all these years later. However, even with fans obsessing over the movie and its engrossing romances, there are plenty of details behind 10 Things I Hate About You that fans don't know about which provide fun context for how the rom-com classic came together. From the original Shakespearean story to the actors almost cast to Ledger's own contribution to the most iconic scene, these details make 10 Things I Hate About You even more fun to revisit.

Related The 15 Best Rom-Coms Of All Time Ranked Between the romantic leads' crackling chemistry, grand gestures, and memorable kisses, the best rom-coms of all time know how to make audiences swoon.

Real Bands Play In The Movie

Letter To Cleo Appear Throughout The Movie

One of the great things about looking back on 90s rom-coms like 10 Things I Hate About You is the music. This movie was typical of the genre at the time, featuring the hip music of the younger generations prominently on the soundtrack. However, it also stands apart from how much live music plays into the movie as well with a real band appearing as themselves.

The band Letter To Cleo features in several scenes in 10 Things I Hate About You. The first is when Patrick goes to Club Skunk to attempt to ask out Kat. The lead singer then appears at the prom as a favor to Patrick where she serenades Kat. The band is also seen playing over the end credits of the movie where they perform on a rooftop as the camera pulls away from them.

There Are Several Shakespearean References

Names Of Characters From The Original Play Were Used In The Movie

Despite the popularity of the movie, there may still be some fans who are surprised to learn that 10 Things I Hate About You is a secret adaptation of a William Shakespeare play. "The Taming of the Shrew" is a comedy by the famous bard that depicts a bizarre courtship between the characters of Petruchio and Katherina, who are clearly the inspirations for the 10 Things I Hate About You main characters of Patrick and Kat. However, those are not the only Shakespearean references in the movie.

The play also deals with Katherina's younger sister, Bianca, who has multiple suitors interested in her. In the movie, Kat's sister, Bianca, is pursued by the vain Joey and the likable Cameron. Also, Patrick is given the last name Verona, the birthplace of the character he is based on. Furthermore, Kat and Bianca's last name is Stratford, a reference to Shakespeare's birthplace of Stratford-upon-Avon.

It Was Heath Ledger's First American Movie

Ledger Had Previous Starred In Australian Projects

Heath Ledger may have become an American icon by the time of his early passing, but the Australian took some time before appearing in an American production. While 10 Things I Hate About You was actually his fifth feature film, it was his first American movie. Before appearing in the picture, he took on roles in Clowning Around, Blackrock, Paws, and The Interview. Each of these titles are Australian productions released between 1992 and 1999.

Along with his costars like Julia Stiles and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, the movie was a breakthrough role for Ledger that made him a recognizable face to American audiences. This allowed him to move on to bigger roles in the likes of The Patriot and A Knight's Tale. With these solid hits under his belt, Ledger eventually wowed audiences and critics with more serious work such as his Oscar-nominated role in Brokeback Mountain which led to his posthumous Oscar win for his iconic role as Joker in The Dark Knight.

There Are Quotes From Shakespeare In The Script

Lines From "The Taming Of The Shrew" And Other Sonnets Were Used

10 Things I Hate About You does a clever job of reworking the classic Shakespeare play into a crowd-pleasing and charming rom-com. However, while the movie might not be striving for the same level of writing that the play has, it does pay homage to the source material as well as its author through various references. Fans of the legendary playwright might notice when actual lines from his works are lifted in the movie. At the beginning of the movie, Cameron James uses The Taming of the Shrew line, "I pine, I burn, I perish."

Later on in the movie, Cameron's friend Michael also shows his overly dramatic side as he says, "sweet love, renew thy force," a line from an unrelated Shakespeare sonnet. Furthermore, audiences hear a performance of Nick Lowe's "Cruel To Be Kind" during the prom sequence, a title in reference to a Hamlet line.

Health Ledger Chose His Song

The Actor Selected "Can't Take My Eyes Off You"

Heath Ledger's performance in 10 Things I Hate About You was praised by critics as one of the highlights of the movie. Ledger was able to show charm, humor, a bad boy side, and a vulnerable side all in one role. However, it was another side of Ledger shown in the movie that provided the most iconic scene in 10 Things I Hate About You and helped make a star of the actor.

The scene finds Ledger's Patrick attempting to show his appreciation for Kat on a public scale by giving a performance of "Can't Take My Eyes Off You," by Frankie Valli on the school bleachers while backed by the school's marching band. Fans might not know Ledger was instrumental in the construction of this sequence. Independent reported that the actor was the one to choose the song over other options like "I Think I Love You," by the Partridge Family.

It Was The Writers' First Screenplay

Karen McCullah Lutz And Kirsten Smith Went On To Write Legally Blonde

Despite the fact that it was inspired by William Shakespeare's play, the screenplay for 10 Things I Hate About You deserves a lot of credit for being a charming, fun, and funny teen rom-com. It takes the familiar story and finds a clever approach to it, filled with great characters. More impressively, this solid script marked the first time writers Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten Smith wrote a movie.

McCullah Lutz revealed that when she was a teenager, she made a diary entry about her boyfriend at the time which she titled, "10 Things I Hate About You". When she and Smith started writing a high school rom-com, they looked through the diaries and Smith suggested that name for the title of their movie (via YouTube). Not surprisingly given the success of 10 Things I Hate About You, the duo went on to write several other comedies, including Legally Blonde, The House Bunny, and The Ugly Truth.

Kate Hudson & Katie Holmes Almost Starred

Eliza Dushku And Josh Hartnett Also Auditioned

It's hard to imagine 10 Things I Hate About You without its spirited cast of performers like Julia Stiles and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. However, things could have gone very differently with several other actors in contention for major roles. W reported that several other notable stars were in the running for the main cast. Kate Hudson and Katie Holmes were well-liked for the part of Kat.

Hudson had yet to star in Almost Famous and this could have been her breakout role one year earlier. However, she reportedly turned it down because her famous mother, Goldie Hawn, didn't like the script (via The New York Times). Both Hudson and Holmes would go on to star in rom-coms like How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days and First Daughter. Other stars of the time like Eliza Dushku and Josh Hartnett were screen-tested.

It Was Shot On Location

The Movie Was Filmed Around Various Seattle Locations

It is perhaps obvious for viewers from the Pacific Northwest in the U.S., but might be news to others: 10 Things I Hate About You was shot on location in Washington. There is often talk about the modern shift to studio sets and blue screens to make the filming process easy but at the cost of a more authentic feel. While made over two decades ago, 10 Things I Hate About You uses so many significant real-world locations, which was unusual for a smaller rom-com.

Notable sights of the area can be seen, including a few landmarks. Travelers perhaps recognize the Freemont Troll Bianca and Cameron visit in Seattle. The impressive high school the characters attend is a real school – Stadium High School in Tacoma, Washington. Though a small aspect of the movie, it gave these scenes a memorable feel.