You remember the scene. The smoke-filled hallways, the rumors about eating a live duck, and that gravelly Australian accent that launched a thousand crushes. Patrick Verona wasn't just another 90s movie bad boy. He was the bad boy.
When 10 Things I Hate About You hit theaters in 1999, nobody knew that a 19-year-old from Perth was about to redefine the high school romantic lead. Heath Ledger didn't just play a character; he created a blueprint. Honestly, if you grew up in that era, you probably spent a significant amount of time looking for a guy who would serenade you via a school PA system while dodging security guards.
But why does he still matter? Why, decades later, is Patrick Verona the one we’re still talking about? It isn't just the hair or the grin. It’s the way he dismantled the "tough guy" trope from the inside out.
The Myth of the Duck-Eating Rebel
Patrick enters the story as a ghost story. People say he sold his own liver on the black market. They say he set a state trooper on fire. This reputation is his armor. It keeps people at a distance, which is exactly where he wants them.
Most teen movies from that decade—think She's All That or Can't Hardly Wait—had very clear-cut social hierarchies. You had the jocks, the nerds, and the rebels. Patrick was the apex predator of the outsiders. But the brilliance of Ledger’s performance is that you can see he’s in on the joke. He doesn't correct the rumors because the rumors are useful. They’re boring, sure, but they’re efficient.
Then he meets Kat Stratford.
When Petruchio Met 90s Seattle
If you slept through English class, you might have missed that the movie is a modern retelling of Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew. In the original play, the character Petruchio "tames" Katherine through what basically amounts to psychological torture and sleep deprivation. It’s... not great by modern standards.
The film turns this on its head. In this version, Patrick doesn't "tame" Kat. If anything, they tame the world’s expectations of them together.
Joey Donner—the ultimate "pretty boy" villain played by Andrew Keegan—pays Patrick to date Kat. It’s a classic, slightly gross rom-com setup. But the shift happens almost immediately. Patrick realizes Kat isn't a project; she’s a person who is just as alienated as he is. He stops trying to "win" and starts trying to connect. He buys her a guitar. He takes her to a paintball park where they get covered in neon yellow goop.
It’s real. It feels messy and teenage and authentic in a way that most scripted romances don't.
That Bleacher Scene (You Know the One)
We have to talk about the stadium.
Director Gil Junger actually auditioned over 200 actors for this role. He said that the moment Ledger walked in, he knew. The kid had a "magnetism unlike anything I’ve ever felt." That magnetism is peaked when he sings "Can't Take My Eyes Off You."
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Did you know Ledger chose that song himself? The original plan was something more contemporary, but he pushed for the Frankie Valli classic. He also did his own singing. It’s clumsy, it’s loud, and it’s vulnerable. He’s making a complete fool of himself in front of the entire school just to see her smile.
That’s the exact moment Patrick stops being a "bad boy" and becomes a partner.
The Quiet Reality Behind the Edge
The most telling scene in the whole movie isn't the big musical number. It’s the quiet moment on the porch where Patrick admits he spent a year away from school taking care of his sick grandfather.
"I was at home... watching Wheel of Fortune and making SpaghettiOs."
That one line destroys the "mysterious rebel" facade. He wasn't in jail. He wasn't at a fight club. He was being a good grandson. This is why Patrick Verona works as a character—he has a soul. He understands what it’s like to be misunderstood, and he sees that same fire in Kat.
Why We’re Still Obsessed in 2026
Modern audiences are a lot more critical of "bad boy" tropes. We see the red flags now. We recognize toxic behavior.
But Patrick holds up because he respects boundaries. Remember when Kat gets drunk at the party? He doesn't take advantage of her. He doesn't even let her kiss him. He puts her in the car, takes her home, and makes sure she’s safe. In a 1999 teen movie, that level of basic decency was actually kind of revolutionary.
He doesn't want to change her. He likes that she’s "heinous." He likes the "scary" version of her.
Actionable Insights for the Modern Viewer
If you’re revisiting the film or introducing it to someone new, keep these details in mind to see the character in a new light:
- Watch the eyes: Ledger’s performance is incredibly physical. Watch how his expression changes when Kat isn't looking. The "cool" mask drops instantly.
- The Accent Shift: You’ll notice his Australian accent peaks and troughs. The creators initially worried about it, but eventually realized it added to his "outsider" vibe.
- The Literary Nods: His last name, Verona, is the setting of Romeo and Juliet. Kat and Bianca’s last name, Stratford, refers to Shakespeare’s birthplace.
- The Guitar: The white Fender Stratocaster he buys her at the end isn't just a gift; it’s an acknowledgement of her dreams. He used the "blood money" from Joey to fund her future.
The legacy of Patrick Verona is really the legacy of Heath Ledger. He took a trope—the leather-jacket-wearing loner—and gave it a heart, a sense of humor, and a genuine moral compass.
Next time you watch, skip the "he's so hot" discourse for a second. Look at the way he listens to her. That’s the real reason he’s the GOAT of 90s cinema.
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If you want to dive deeper into the making of the film, look for the 10th-anniversary commentary tracks. They reveal just how much of the chemistry between Ledger and Julia Stiles was real—they actually dated for a bit during filming, which explains why those looks they give each other feel so electric.