“We didn't have a backyard, so as I child, I would turn the coffee table into a stage and put on shows. But it was just a fun thing to do; I never thought about it as a profession. That started as a fluke; my mother had a friend who was an artist with a theater company, and I started going there after school because my mom knew I'd be safe.”

American actress and director

Julia O'Hara Stiles is an American actress and director. Born in 1981, she began acting at 11 with New York's La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club and later became known for film and television roles that brought her wide recognition. Her film debut came at 15 in I Love You, I Love You Not (1996), and she went on to star in Wicked (1998), 10 Things I Hate About You (1999), Down to You (2001), and Save the Last Dance (2001). She also appeared in the mini-series The '60s (1999), and her awards include a Teen Choice Award, two MTV Movie Awards, and a Karlovy Vary Film Festival Award for Best Actress.