Patrick Verona

Grew up… in Australia. Patrick spent the first 10 years of his life living Down Under with his mother, which explains his accent.

Living… in Seattle. Patrick, an outsider and a rebel, has earned a reputation at Padua High School for being a bit crazy. There’s a rumor going around that he ate a live duck (except for the beak and legs).

Profession… high school student, plusa bit of hustling. The popular and wealthy Joey Donner is paying Patrick to seduce the uptight Kat Stratford. The good-looking Patrick sees it as easy money. What could be simpler than dating a good-looking girl? As Patrick incredulously asks Joey, “You’re gonna pay me to take out some chick?” 

Interests… smoking cigarettes, eating meat and being rebellious. Unfortunately, if Patrick wants to do his job and win over Kat Stratford, he has to give up all of his passions. The opinionated vegetarian Kat absolutely hates smoking and won’t abide by high school conventions. As Patrick says (after Kat pulls a particularly brazen distraction technique), “It’s not everyday you find a girl who’ll flash someone to get you out of detention.”

Challenge… convince Kat to date him. Patrick is at the center of a scheme to enable his friend, Cameron, to date Kat’s younger (and highly sought-after) sister, Bianca. According to their father’s rules, the younger Stratford sister is only allowed to date once her older sister gets a boyfriend. In order for Cameron to take Bianca out, he’s had to persuade Patrick to seduce the un-seducible Kat. Simultaneously, Patrick is happy to take a bit of money from the unscrupulous Joey Donner to achieve the same end. 

Personality… rebellious and flippant. Patrick is a stranger to Padua High School’s culture. His “bad boy” attitude may be a result of his lack of desire to fit in with the normal kids. But deep down, he’s just a sensitive soul who spent a year “watching Wheel of Fortune and making SpaghettiOs” while taking care of his sick grandpa.