Julia Stiles has been on our screens for decades, embodying iconic roles that range from the angsty Kat Stratford in 10 Things I Hate About You to the resilient Joan in Mona Lisa Smile. But with Chosen Family, she gets to flex her comedic and dramatic chops alongside Heather Graham—who also wrote and directed the project.
“It wasn’t hard to rope me in,” Stiles tells Kyle Meredith, explaining how Graham’s hilarious and heartfelt script won her over. In the film, Stiles plays a recovering addict with anger issues, a character she describes as a “grown-up who acts like a toddler.” While Stiles embraces the character’s brattiness, she points out the layers in Heather Graham’s writing. “She’s self-centered, but she’s also struggling. You learn about the trauma she’s faced, and it helps ground her outrageous behavior.”
Stiles praises Graham for her ability to turn personal stories into sharp, comedic moments. “She’s worked through the darker stuff, and now she can laugh at it,” Stiles notes, highlighting how the film’s dysfunctional family dynamics ultimately emphasize the importance of chosen families.
As an actress, Stiles brings authenticity to every role, but now, she’s looking to expand her talents behind the camera. Her directorial debut, Wish You Were Here, is set to hit theaters next year, and Stiles admits that the experience of directing was as exhilarating as it was challenging. “I’ve spent 25 years on film sets, absorbing different directing styles. I thought I’d be hands-off, but time constraints forced me to be direct—‘More happy! Faster! Slower!’—things I swore I’d never say to actors,” she laughs.
But if there’s one dream still on Stiles’ bucket list, it’s directing music videos. Having appeared in a few herself—including one for Cyndi Lauper—Stiles cherishes the visual artistry of the medium. “Music videos were an event for our generation. They made songs iconic,” she reminisces, hoping for a resurgence of that kind of cultural significance.
With her varied filmography, burgeoning directing career, and lifelong appreciation for music, Julia Stiles continues to prove that her creative journey is far from over. From Chosen Family to her directorial debut, Stiles is finding new ways to tell stories—on-screen and behind the lens.
Watch the interview above and then check out the trailer below.
