Julia Stiles decided on acting and began working her way up. Her first big chance came at age 11 at the La Mama Theater, an interview she got by writing a letter to the director begging for an audition. She also worked at the Kitchen Theater, appearing in the plays 'Matthew: School of Life, ' and 'The Sandalwood Box.'

She grabbed a few small supporting roles in big Hollywood films, including 'The Devil's Own' with Brad Pitt and Harrison Ford. But a big break came when she was cast in a starring role in the NBC miniseries 'The 60's', a documentary style film that followed the lives of a fictional family through the turmoil that was the 60s. Julia's hard-nosed acting style became evident in this film, as she burst blood vessels in a simulated child birth by screaming so loud. 'I was really happy with the way they shot that. I wasn't going to make it pretty.' But her next step was even bigger.

'10 Things I Hate About You' was a fairly good film that came at a great time. The market was ripe for teen films, but had yet to be completely oversaturated with them. This combination, along with some stellar acting by Ms. Stiles, of course, caused the film to rake in millions and become a crowd favorite. The film was an update of Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew, with Julia playing the shrew. The careers of Heath Ledger, Larisa Oleynik, and Julia herself were launched from the film.

She then starred in another teen film, Down to You, with Freddie Prinze, Jr. The film wasn't blessed by critics and did fairly well at the box office. Julia looked at the film as a step away from '10 Things'. 'I've definitely been trying ot avoid high school movies. Luckily, in 'Down to You', I finally get to go to college.' The role fit her well, she felt as she too was going through her first love during the filming of the picture. 'It was a chance for me to think about what that means,' she said.

Julia, determined to not be written off as a one-hit wonder or a flake teenage beauty, has accepted roles in some biting drama. Her turn in 'Hamlet' (also an update of a Shakespearan play) garnered critical praise for Julia.

She's currently attending Columbia University. But her sights aren't just on Hollywood business. When asked what she'd be majoring in, she sighed and said, 'Not drama.' Instead, she wants to do some charitable work in Bolivia.