Julia Stiles makes intelligent, guarded women worth watching without insisting that we like them. We rate her seriousness and her restraint, especially in the Bourne films, though lighter comedy can make the same qualities feel awkward.
Fi1m perspective
In The Bourne Supremacy (2004), Julia Stiles makes the pauses between pursuits worth watching. As Nicky Parsons, she gives the quieter scenes interest without making a show of herself, a useful quality in Paul Greengrass's restless thriller. We enjoyed those stretches because she gave us someone to watch rather than simply a pause before Matt Damon started moving again. Her restraint helps keep the film intelligible when the cutting threatens to do otherwise.
Her early leading roles gave that seriousness more room. Kat Stratford in 10 Things I Hate About You (1999) established her as a sharp, independent presence, with anger and vulnerability as important as intelligence. Save the Last Dance (2001), in which she played Sara Johnson, put her at the centre of a dance drama. These are useful starting points for an actor whose characters can be forceful without seeming invulnerable. The reservation is that her earnestness can sit awkwardly in lighter comedy; she does not always make seriousness look easy to live with.
The Bourne Identity (2002) began her smaller, supporting role as Nicky, in a film whose tenderness owes most to Damon and Franka Potente. Our admiration for Doug Liman's film rests chiefly on that pair, rather than on Stiles's contribution. The sequel gives us a clearer reason to notice what she contributes alongside Joan Allen as Pamela Landy and Brian Cox as Ward Abbott. Allen brings brisk intelligence and Cox an authority that needs little emphasis; Stiles makes Nicky interesting without trying to outplay either of them. We value that judgement about how much a scene needs, especially when the film around her is so busy.
Nicky's role expanded significantly in The Bourne Ultimatum (2007). Her television work as Lumen Pierce in Dexter (2010) also made use of her ability to play someone vulnerable without making them seem weak. Watch The Bourne Supremacy for Damon and the pursuit, but give Stiles some attention when the film slows down.
Biography
Julia O'Hara Stiles is an American actress. Born on 28 March 1981 in New York City, she began acting at the age of eleven with the La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club and trained at the Professional Children's School.
She rose to prominence with leading roles in 10 Things I Hate About You (1999), Save the Last Dance (2001) and Mona Lisa Smile (2003). Stiles is known for playing Nicky Parsons in the Bourne film series, appearing in The Bourne Identity (2002), The Bourne Supremacy (2004), The Bourne Ultimatum (2007) and Jason Bourne (2016). Her television work includes the role of Lumen Pierce in the fifth season of Dexter (2010), for which she received a Golden Globe Award nomination. She has also appeared in Silver Linings Playbook (2012) and Hustlers (2019).
