10 Things I Hate About You: The 10 Best Characters

1999’s 10 Things I Hate About You is one of the most popular romantic comedies which features a terrific cast and a unique story. Focusing on the high school world, the romance is often over the top, and the actions that the characters go through showcase that, from paying people to date to big karaoke moments. The film has a lot of funny scenes, but it is also thought-provoking at times as well.

With so many great characters being part of this movie, it is easy to see why there is such a great following for it. But out of everybody involved in the story, which character is actually the greatest?

10 Chastity Church

Chastity Church starts out seemingly likable and reasonably funny, being the best friend of Bianca, but she ends up turning on her in order to date Joey herself when she gets the chance.

Chastity proves herself to be rude at times, having no problem in stirring the pot which does make elements of the movie exciting at times. However, as a character, she’s not one of the strongest within the movie, purely because of the fact she’s someone audiences end up not liking.

9 Mandella

Mandella is in a similar situation to Chastity in the sense that she doesn’t have that much of an impact on the movie overall. She plays the same role as Chastity, except she is the best friend of Bianca’s sister, Kat. They’re far kinder and more quirky, which is what makes Mandella a more appealing character.

Her romantic storyline with Michael is also a lot of fun, especially with her obsession with William Shakespeare playing a big part in it. Seeing them dressed in Shakespeare-inspired clothing for their big prom event is a hilarious moment too, which makes her a memorable part of the movie.

8 Joey Donner

Out of all the characters in 10 Things I Hate About You, Joey Donner is comfortably the least likable. He might be the person that everybody in the school is attracted to, but the high school senior isn’t a nice person, and that makes him one of the weaker characters overall.

He works as a model at times, and that inflates his ego throughout the movie. While he tries his best to date Bianca, he does so by paying Patrick to date Kat, showcasing how low he can stoop. It’s clear why he’s in the movie, as he plays an important role, being someone who is easy to hate.

7 Walter Stratford

Walter Stratford is the single parent for both Bianca and Kat, and despite his best efforts, they certainly rule that house. He is just a kind, worried father who doesn’t want to see his children grow up, and that leads to some funny scenes with him trying to make rules that they have to follow.

His reactions to different situations that happen in the movie are priceless, and it’s impossible not to find comedy in his rants, which always end up linking back to his job. He’s a funny character and one that is easy to like, playing a great part in the movie overall.

6 Ms. Perky

Ms. Perky isn’t your average high school headmistress, but that’s what makes her such an amazing character. She’s not like the traditional teachers that appear in movies, as she tells it to the students straight, not holding anything back in her blunt and honest delivery.

Her scenes are always memorable, and with Ms. Perky writing her own erotic novel by using things she hears from the students, it creates some hilarious running jokes alongside the rest of the story.

5 Bianca Stratford

There are times when Bianca Stratford can be unlikable, which is mainly due to how self-obsessed she is. Bianca wants things her way all of the time, and that puts a strain on her relationship with Kat, but the two sisters end up coming together and bonding, with Bianca having a great redemption style story.

She improves massively as a person throughout the movie, letting down her guard to showcase the real her with Cameron. Bianca is a great personality and plays the stereotypical high school sweetheart that everyone adores perfectly, coming out with some tremendous one-liners at different points. Plus, her fight scene at prom is an amazing moment.

4 Cameron James

Cameron James is seen as the perfect young man in this movie. The new member of high school is played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and he brings the usual level of charm to the character, where it becomes clear why Bianca Stratford would eventually fall for him.

He is in love from the moment he sees her and seeing Cameron work hard to get to know Bianca and genuinely win her over, unlike how Joey behaves, instantly makes him one of the best characters. Cameron can be funny as well, which helps, making it easy for him to become a fan favorite.

3 Michael Eckman

Michael Eckman is the comedic sidekick as the high school geek that is given the role of taking Cameron on a tour when he arrives. However, the two men end up forming a great bromance, becoming genuine friends which is mainly because Michael invests in Cameron’s desire to date Bianca.

Throughout the movie, Michael comes out with some fantastic one-liners and that makes him one of the best characters overall. He is kind and even gets his own love life scene as well, putting in a huge romantic gesture to make it happen. But it’s the fact he is a genuine scene-stealer that makes him one of the strongest characters.

2 Kat Stratford

Kat Stratford is the lead female character in this movie, and she’s one of the funniest as well. Kat is unique and individual, having no problem in sharing her opinion and living to the beat of her own drum, which makes her a great character.

Kat might not have any interest in romance at the start of the movie, but she does end up falling for Patrick. Kat is someone who will do whatever is needed, from flashing her teacher to get Patrick out of detention to dancing how she wants during a party, all of which helps to make her a great character to watch.

1 Patrick Verona

Heath Ledger provides an amazing performance throughout 10 Things I Hate About You as Patrick Verona. Initially, he starts out as a mysterious character who people are unsure of, but he proves to be someone that has a lot of charisma and humor.

While he makes the wrong decision in accepting money to date Kat at first, seeing him eventually come around to love her is a charming story overall. Patrick is happy to make big gestures when needed, with his singing scene to ask Kat to the dance being the best in the movie. Plus, he learns the error of his ways and redeems himself well at the end too.

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