Julia Stiles recalls being told to smile more during teenage acting auditions

• Julia Stiles was often told to smile more during her early acting auditions.
• The actress felt angry when casting directors pressured her to be more bubbly.
• Playing Kat Stratford allowed Stiles to ignore the judgment of other people.
  

Julia Stiles has shared a memorable piece of advice she received during her teenage years that continues to resonate throughout her career.

In a "Get Ready with Me" video posted on Instagram, recorded in collaboration with the beauty brand Merit, the 45-year-old American actress reflected on the pressures she faced as a young performer.

Stiles recalled how casting directors frequently attempted to mould her personality to fit traditional Hollywood expectations, often criticising her natural disposition during the high-stakes audition process.

"I remember being an auditioning actress as a teenager, and every single audition that I went to, they'd be like, 'You need to smile more. Just smile, be more bubbly and effervescent. Because you're so serious. You're too serious,'" Stiles revealed.

She admitted that these repetitive demands often left her feeling angry. However, she noted that this serious nature ultimately led her to the career-defining role of Kat Stratford in the 1999 romantic comedy "10 Things I Hate About You".

Reflecting on the beloved character, the "Jason Bourne" star expressed her joy in playing a woman who rejected external validation.

"It was just so much fun playing her because she wasn't driven by everybody else's judgment of her," she admitted.

Stiles marvelled at the enduring popularity of the film twenty-five years later, asking: “How awesome that, like 25 years later, different generations of ladies are still responding to her and that movie?"

Inspired by Shakespeare's "The Taming of the Shrew", the film helped Stiles establish herself as a leading figure in teen cinema before she moved into major future projects.