Julia Stiles Recalls Working with Heath Ledger in “10 Things I Hate About You”: 'He Was Such a Force'

Julia Stiles is remembering Heath Ledger fondly as the 17th anniversary of his death approaches.

Stiles, 43, made an appearance on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen on Monday, Jan. 13, where she looked back at working with other well-known actors, including the late Ledger on their 1999 teen romantic comedy 10 Things I Hate About You.

"He was such a force," said Stiles, who is making her directorial debut with the romantic drama Wish You Were Here, which she also wrote the screenplay for.

"He walked into a room and just lit it up and had so much energy and passion, and it's really sad that he's gone," she added.

Ledger was found dead on Jan. 22, 2008. A toxicology report revealed a fatal mix of prescription drugs in the 28-year-old's system.

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Speaking with PEOPLE amid 10 Things I Hate About You's 25th anniversary last year, director Gil Junger, said he "cast [Heath] basically before he even spoke."

"This guy was an old soul if you've ever met one," the filmmaker continued of Ledger, adding that by the time he met the actor for a 10 Things audition, he "had already read over 200 guys" for the role of bad boy Patrick Verona, while casting had "probably read close to 2,000."

"[Heath] walked in the room in one of these big casting sessions ... I swear on my parents' life, I thought, 'If this f---er can speak English, I'm going to cast him,' " recalled Junger, 70. "He just had an energy that was undeniable."

So undeniable, in fact, "I liked Heath so much as a person that I would literally ride to and back from work with him just to spend more time with him," the director added.

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Related: 10 Surprising Facts About 10 Things I Hate About You as Movie Turns 25 (Exclusive)

Adapted from William Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew, 10 Things I Hate About You follows Kat Stratford (Stiles), a cynical, intelligent high-school senior who dreams of leaving her West Coast town for Sarah Lawrence College in New York.

At home, she is constantly compared to her popular, perky younger sister Bianca (Larisa Oleynik) by their overprotective single father Walter (Larry Miller). But Kat's world is soon turned upside down by the arrival of Patrick Verona (Ledger), an edgy new student who makes her look at herself in a way she has been hesitant to for so long.

On WWHL, Stiles was asked whether she enjoyed working on 10 Things or Save the Last Dance (2001) more — and she noted that the latter film was "a whole different experience," as she "put a lot of pressure on" herself during production.

"10 Things, it was like, fun!" she said, comparing the two. "And it was [my] first time doing a big studio movie like that, and I love that character so much. We had a great time."

Wish You Were Here is in theaters Friday, Jan. 17. Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen airs Sunday-Thursday evenings on Bravo.

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