Andrew Keegan Still Gets Recognized for 10 Things I Hate About You, 25 Years After Its Release (Exclusive)

For many millennials, Andrew Keegan is, of course, an unforgettable face. But which of his many ’90s characters gets him the most recognition?

The actor says 10 Things I Hate About You’s Joey Donner is who fans most often recognize him as, even still — 25 years after the teen rom-com’s release.

“I think the most is 10 Things I Hate About You, for sure,” Keegan, 43, tells PEOPLE while chatting at 90s Con in September in Florida. “But the cast of 7th Heaven is here — I was on that for four seasons.”

In 1999’s 10 Things I Hate About You, Joey is more focused on his looks — and a potential modeling career — than his romantic relationship with Bianca Stratford (Larisa Oleynik). The affluent teen’s priorities make him an enemy of the film’s protagonist, Kat Stratford (Julia Stiles).

In several of his ’90s roles, Keegan’s characters could be a bit self-serving — something he reflects on, now.

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“I think as an actor we have a lot of different opportunities,” Keegan tells PEOPLE. “I think I kind of traversed back and forth. 7th Heaven is here; yes I was a single father so that was ‘bad’ but I watched a lot of episodes lately and the character was also very sweet. ‘Bad’ is not a descriptive enough word. A lot of the roles were dynamic.”

And he defends 10 Things‘ Joey as multi-dimensional: “There was still something sweet about Joey, that lovable kind of quality that I was recognizing.”

“We bring ourselves as actors to the roles, there’s a little piece of us in the roles. And I think I’m sweet.”

Filming the movie in Tacoma, Washington, was the “first time I’d been on a shoot out of town,” Keegan says.

His memories of that experience are fond: “You get to go somewhere, be all together, stay in a hotel, it’s like a work trip.”