Julia Stiles is taking a heartfelt look back at her breakout role in 10 Things I Hate About You in honor of the movies 25th anniversary.

In a Yahoo Entertainment interview published Thursday, Stiles said appearing in the beloved coming-of-age comedy was a refreshing experience given the unapologetic attitude of her character, Katarina Kat Stratford.

That was my first big movie, she explained. I was a 17-year-old auditioning actress. So Im trying to figure out who I am as a person, and then also getting all this criticism and feedback from the movie industry.

Prior to appearing in 10 Things I Hate About You, Stiles had roles in films like Wicked, for which she beat out Katie Holmes , and The Devils Own, starring Brad Pitt and Harrison Ford . Though she had yet to cement herself as a bankable Hollywood commodity at the time of her 10 Things casting, shed already felt the sting of sexist criticism and was eager to push back.

A lot of it was like, Youre too serious, You [need to] lighten up. You know, trying to be more appealing sexually, whatever, recalled the actor. That can be really disheartening, especially as a teenager.