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Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Heath Ledger reportedly got an audition for 10 Things I Hate About You because a casting director wanted to do a favour for an agent. Director Gil Junger says Ledger’s brief audition then persuaded him to cast the young actor as Patrick Verona. The story comes from Junger’s retrospective account on the Industry Standard podcast, as reported by PerthNow—not from an independently verified recording.
Why did Heath Ledger get an audition?
In a PerthNow report published on 21 April 2025, Junger recalled that casting head Marcia Ross brought Ledger in as a favour to an agent she respected. Junger said he had already read 253 actors before Ledger. That number is his reported recollection, not an independently verified count or an industry statistic.
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10 Things I Hate About You | $44.42 | Buy on Amazon |
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PerthNow quoted Junger describing Ross’s explanation: “I don’t know this last kid, it’s honestly just a favour for an agent that I respect”. The favour, in this account, explains why Ledger was invited to audition; it does not explain why he was hired.
What impressed the director at the audition?
Junger reportedly said Ledger made an immediate impression when he walked in, recalling that he thought, “If this kid can read English I’m going to cast him”. He first asked Ledger to read from the script, then asked him to put it down and improvise so he could see whether the actor had comic ability.
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- Popular, pretty Bianca Stratford (Larisa Oleynik) is in dilemma. A family rule forbids her from dating until her unpopular, rebellious, boy-hating older sister Kat (Julia Stiles) gets a suitor of her own. In an attempt to win Bianca, a potential boyfriend (Andrew Keegan) desperately attempts to set Kat up with Patrick Verona (Heath Ledger), another rebel whom may just be able to win Kat's heart.
The improvisation lasted about 30 seconds, according to PerthNow’s account. Junger reportedly told Ledger he believed he would have a huge career, while making clear he could not promise him the part. After the audition team discussed it, Junger decided to hire him.
Which role did Ledger get?
Ledger was cast as Patrick Verona in the 1999 film 10 Things I Hate About You, alongside Julia Stiles, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Gabrielle Union. PerthNow describes Patrick as Ledger’s breakout role, bringing him wider fame. The film was largely based on William Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew.
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What the audition story does—and doesn’t—establish
The account’s central distinction is straightforward: an agent’s favour reportedly got Ledger into the room, while Junger says the actor’s presence and improvisation won him the role. These details are Junger’s retrospective recollection as summarized and quoted by PerthNow. The podcast audio was not independently verified for this article, so the quotations should be understood as PerthNow’s published rendering of Junger’s remarks.
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