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And then there was Julia Stiles.
Julia Stiles, the actor known for her starring role in many late-’90s and early ’00s rom-coms, has just directed her own.
Vogue: Why did you want to makeWish You Were Hereyour directorial debut?
Julia Stiles:I had aspirations to direct.
I could totally visualize it as a film.
Isabelle Furhman and Mena Massoud inWish You Were Here.
What did you love about the script?
Im a romantic at heart.
I love a good love story.
Julia Stiles behind the scenes ofWish You Were Here.
Theyre very young, but their love is a very deep and meaningful one.
What did you distill?
Why did a rom-com have to be the first project you directed specifically?
Heath Ledger and Julia Stiles in10 Things I Hate About You.
It didnt have to be at all.
It just felt right.
I also was very aware of having made a lot of movies about romance.
Heath Ledger, Allison Janney, and Julia Stiles in10 Things I Hate About You.
The story really has to last.
It has to be something that youre still interested in telling years later.
What accounted for the five years it took for the film to come together?
Julia Stiles in the TV showThe Lake.
I dont think thats terribly long for an indie movie, but it was longer than I expected.
There were hiccups along the way.
It takes a while to get something cast.
Julia Stiles inSave the Last Dance.
So, we had to wait until that was done.
Its a tough marketplace for indie movies right now.
At least, thats what I was told.
What did you learn about being a director from this project?
I learned that I love it.
And you have to function well with very little sleep.
Ive been on film sets for 25 years.
I can do this."
You have to dictate it, fight for your vision and fight for the things that you want.
It sounds silly when I say it, but it was something that I felt in my body.
Well, social media, and technology are a huge part of them now.
You cant have a movie about dating and romance without text messaging and computers.
I tried to avoid that a little bit.
There is still some text messaging and dating app service in my film.
But I didnt want to be showing text messages or a phone screen a lot.
How did you avoid being pigeonholed?
You just need someone to tell you like, You should be doing this.
Early in my career I was unconsciously going, Oh, well, theres all these teen movie trends.
I want to do this.
Or, Is this a director that I want to work with?
It was a lot more flighty or cavalier.
I dont like watching them.
Im too chicken, but I love this character.
Its a great script.
And then it was successful, and youre only offered horror movies.
So, now Im more aware of trying to pivotor what works for me, and what doesnt.
Why does10 Things I Hate About Youhold up as a great rom-com?
Because I think the writing was so good.
Where do you think your character Kat is today?
Hopefully, a lot happier out of high school.
And, shes totally surfing.
That feels like it checks out.
Whats your favorite memory of working with Heath Ledger on that film?
He was just such a bright light.
He was such an energetic, kind force.
He was very magnetic, very charismatic, and we all had a great time working on that film.
I really am grateful that he was so kind to me.
I absolutely adoredThe Lake, and you got to show off your comedy chops in it.
Is there a chance for a season three?
I loved working on that so much.
I can be funny, and I love this character.
And Im glad they believed in me.
Shes very strategic, very driven, and its all about her.
So, I could shed all of my politeness.
It didnt really have to do with the content, it had to do with some market placing.
Over the years, peoplepoked funat the dance Sara does that gets her into Juilliard inSave the Last Dance.
How did you feel about that?
Well, first, I dont read it, and I just insulate myself from that.
But sometimes friends will tell me things and send me links.
And then I saw they were likening it to my dance inSave the Last Dance.
And I was like, Oh, guys, I think theyre making fun of me.
Also, the internet.
Theres just so much out there.
Like, I would be torturing myself if I read everything.
Im critical ofSave the Last Dancenot of the movie, but my work in it.
But I treat myself with compassion.
Im like, You put a lot of pressure on yourself, you were very young.
I was 19, and it was a big deal.
Whats your favorite memory from it?
Freddie was a delight.
Hes a sweetheart and a very kind person.
At the time, I appreciated that he was such a kind, gentle soul.
He, I think, was a little bit shy about all of his fame.
But I was too young to do anything about it.
I dont even remember if it ended up in the film.
It was really stupid.
Im totally hooked as a director.
I am looking for the next project.
And I do still want to keep acting.
In terms of future projects, are there any actors or directors you dream of working with?
I adoreAmy Adamsso much.
She is amazing in everything that she does.
We sourced some existing songs, but I loved putting music over the picture.
Not like Broadway, more of the rock operas, or whatever.
Did you recruit Vanessa and John to do the music?
She and I have been friends for a long time.
But she and I became friends in our early twenties.
And you add John McCauley into the mix, and they have such a nice balance as a duet.
