Unlike most celebrities, Julia Stiles at one point prioritized her higher education over her acting career.

She is known for her role in "Dexter" which earned her a Golden Globe nomination. But most people know her as that lead teenager from "10 Things I Hate About You." But KR CR Tv cites that she didn't think about her acting career first. In fact, she took a break from her early acting career to earn a degree in English literature.

Born in 1981 in New York City, Stiles was already immersed in the acting craft at 11 years old. She performed at New York's La MaMa Theatre Company. She made her television debut in "Ghostwriter" but only for six episodes. But this was only possible because of her interest in acting. She was eager to play all of the roles in "The Honeymooners" after watching the hit television series. When her parents saw this, they encouraged her to take acting and modern dance classes.

She also enrolled in plays like "Kitchen Theater." But just because she loves acting, she did not put it first before her education. She entered New York's Professional Children School which is a school that helps prepare children in developing their talent in the arts.

Her first movie appearance was in "I Love You, I Love You Not." She starred in a small non-speaking role that also stars Jude Law and Claire Danes. But just because she had a string of successful roles as a child and teenager, she did not stop her path to a higher education. She temporarily interrupted her career after deciding to enroll at Columbia University in 2000, where she earned a degree in English.

She currently holds multiple awards under her belt such as MTV Movie Award for Breakthrough performance and was nominated for a ton of Teen Choice Awards. But she also received critical praise for her adult roles.

Get to know Julia Stiles more through this video below: