A Filmmaker's Guide to 30 Things You Should Know About "10 Things I Hate About You" (1999)

"10 Things I Hate About You" (1999) was not only the ultimate teen film whilst many of us were growing up, but was also the break-out role for the incredible and versatile actor, the late Heath Ledger. Not his first role, it is his biggest to that date. There is something really endearing about this film and although I despise teen rom-coms, I absolutely adore this film. It is so different to most others because there is a serious depth to it and it is based on Shakespeare's "The Taming of the Shrew".

The film has become one of the most beloved teen rom-coms in all of cinema history, making it well-respected by those who do not normally watch nor critique this genre of film. It was the directing debut of American director, Gil Junger and managed to make $53M or so at the box office with a budget of $16M.

So, let's check out all the things you should know if you love "Ten Things I Hate About You." (1999)...

All the Things You Should Know About "10 Things I Hate About You" (1999):

1. Patrick's last name, "Verona" refers to the place in which "Romeo and Juliet" is set

2. The marching band sequence is the marching band from Lincoln High School

3. Both of Kat's love interests would go on to play the Joker. First of all, she is mentioned as having a picture of Jared Leto in her locker and her love interest in the film is Heath Ledger

4. Ashton Kutcher auditioned for Patrick

5. The director is also uncredited as a teacher of Padua High School

6. When Joey asks Bianca whether she's going to the party, he misnames the boy who is throwing the party

7. "10 Things I Hate About You" was meant to sound like "The Taming of the Shrew" in some respects when said aloud

8. The book that Patrick asks Kat for in the bookstore is to show her that he shares her views and is called "The Feminine Mystique" - it's about how boring being a woman with a responsibility to a man is

9. The 0.6 seconds of Patrick brandishing a butterfly knife were cut out for the British release of the film

10. Ross Fanger's name is on the detention list - he is a production manager on the film

11. The house that Bianca and Kat live at is still standing and currently is worth $1.6M

12. There is a poster in Kat's room featuring the band "The Gits" which is led by the late Mia Zapata, murdered in 1993

13. In the bookstore scene, on of the books that are visible is the book entitled: "10 Stupid Things Men Do To Mess Up Their Lives".

14. After Michael is nearly beaten up by Kat, he calls her a 'shrew' which refers to the play the film is based on

15. The letters viewed in the final shot of the entire film as the camera zooms out and pans backwards is "A F F" suggesting that Kat has parked her car in the staff zone

16. It was written by the same screenwriter who wrote "Legally Blonde" (2001)

17. Julia Stiles and Larisa Oleynik initially played their counterparts with the first playing Bianca and the latter playing Kat. By some point, they were switched around

18.Gil Junger initially thought the script was trash

19. Despite being high school students, Gabrielle Union (Chastity) was 26 at the time

20. Cameron's name is Cameron James, a play on the name of the director - James Cameron

21. For the role of Patrick Verona, Heath Ledger drew on the mannerisms of Jack Nicholson. He would take this approach later on once again when he plays the Joker

22. The original script was far darker, featuring violence and suicide attempts

23. Julia Stiles got the lead role in "Save the Last Dance" because of the dance she performs on the table at the party

24. During the filming of the movie, according to the cast, Julia Stiles began dating Heath Ledger - they broke up in early 2000

25. This was Heath Ledger's first American Movie

26. Josh Hartnett wanted to play Patrick

27. The part where Patrick plays with fire in the science lab is complete improvisation

28. The poem at the end of the film was read in one take

29. The entire film was shot using real locations. No sets were used or built

30. The school used in the film is Stadium High School in Tacoma, Washington