English
Julia Stiles brought a deeply emotional moment to Dancing With the Stars on Tuesday night, paying tribute to her late co-star Heath Ledger during the show’s Dedication Night episode.
Stiles performed a contemporary routine alongside her partner Ezra Sosa to the classic song “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You.” The song holds a special place in cinema history. In the 1999 romantic comedy 10 Things I Hate About You, Ledger’s character Patrick famously sang the Frankie Valli number to Stiles’ character Kat Stratford from the bleachers during her soccer practice.
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Cast Reunites to Honor Ledger’s Legacy
After the performance, Stiles spoke to Variety about the personal significance of the tribute. She revealed that she personally requested the entire cast of the film join her on stage to represent Ledger’s legacy.
“I said, if we had to have someone with us on stage representing Heath’s legacy or the film, I said it had to be the whole cast,” she told Variety. “I begged them, each and every one of them, and they all rallied. They really did.”
Stiles also described the surreal experience of seeing herself in a blue dress similar to the one she wore in the film, with her hair styled in a comparable way. “At 17 years old, I never would have thought that I’d be here at 45, celebrating my body, dancing on the show that I absolutely love,” she said. “Fans are still interested in this movie and still moved and touched by it.”
Emotional Rehearsals Before the Performance
Earlier in the week, Stiles had already opened up to Variety about how difficult the rehearsal process had been. She admitted she initially believed she had enough emotional distance from the memories.
“I thought I was distanced from it enough,” she said. “Like, oh, it was so many years ago.” However, revisiting clips from the film quickly changed that. “Something about seeing clips from that movie and images and hearing my voice and hearing his voice is bringing back so many memories. It’s a lot.”
Stiles confirmed she began crying during rehearsals. She reflected on what the tribute meant beyond the performance itself. “One of the things that we really hope to do as performers is to make people feel something and have people care about the work that you do,” she said. “His memory lives on because it was such an incredible performance.”
Remembering Heath Ledger
Ledger died in January 2008 at the age of 28. His performance in 10 Things I Hate About You remains one of his most beloved early roles. The tribute on Dancing With the Stars clearly demonstrated that his impact on audiences and co-stars alike has not faded with time.
