On a brand new episode of Life is Short with Justin Long, Julia Stiles joins Justin and his brother Christian to talk about her new film Orphan: First Kill, growing up in NYC, getting cast in her breakout role opposite Heath Ledger in 10 Things I Hate About You, and more.
LISTEN NOW: Life is Short with Justin Long - Julia Stiles
Growing up in New York, with as she noted “no backyard,” Julia found herself watching TV and imitating what they say. Doing so caught the eye of her artist mother’s theatrical friend, and before long she was a member of her company, which she maintained until her teen years.
At 17 years old, Julia, who had by then acquired an agent flew to Los Angeles to audition for lots of teen movies, none of which she got. That is until a film called 10 Things I Hate About You, and well as you know, that’s where it all began and everything changed.
At the time Julia admitted she had no idea the movie would reach the heights it has, remaining relevant 2 decades later. However she did reveal that while on set filming the movie, there were feelings of “excitement of being on that set, and the excitement of ‘oh this is a cool script.’”
As she went on to detail, working with the late Heath Ledger offered her similar feels. “He was so full of life," Julia said. “He was a little bit older I think then all the other actors, and we all kind of looked up to him. But he was just like authentically himself, had this zest for life, he threw himself into the roll, and was just like very magnetic”
After her breakout, Julia, enrolled at Columbia University, while maintaining a very successful career, acting in films like Save the Last Dance. However at times Styles found herself having to choose to forgo a role for final exams. Which she lucky chose against to take on the role of Nicky Parsons in The Bourne Identity, which went on to lead to three subsequent films.
For her latest film, Orphan: First Kill, Julia has taken to the horror genre, which she admittedly isn’t a fan of, well "unless you’re playing the villain." However that said, she admits, “this movie’s different, and I’m not just saying that.” Revealing she was “drawn in” while reading the script, and that “there’s a major twist and it involves my character, and I got to do a lot of things with this woman who will keep her family together at all costs.”
For all that and more listen to the entire episode above. And check out the trailer for Orphan: First Kill below, out in theaters now.
Is it just us or is time flying by? How do we make the most out of our short time here on Earth? That’s what Justin Long and his brother Christian are here to find out. As an actor, Justin is used to getting inside character's heads. But as he gets older, he's interested in peeking inside the heads of real people, to learn how they find meaning in life. Life is Short gets personal with all kinds of people, from actors to musicians to deep thinkers, with new episodes every Tuesday.
LISTEN on the Audacy App
Sign Up and Follow Audacy
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram