Julia Stiles Reunites With ’10 Things I Hate About You’ Cast to Honor Heath Ledger on ‘DWTS’
It was a night to remember on Dancing with the Stars, as the 10 Things I Hate About You cast reunited on the ABC dance competition show to pay tribute to the late Heath Ledger.
Ahead of Tuesday’s episode, which was Dedication Night, it was revealed that Julia Stiles and her pro partner Ezra Sosa would be dedicating their dance to Ledger, who starred opposite Stiles in the beloved 1999 rom-com.
The pair danced to “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” by Frankie Valli, which was the song Ledger’s Patrick Verona serenaded Stiles’ Kat Stratford with during her soccer practice at the high school stadium. In the scene, he runs and dances across the stands as the marching band plays to try and win her over after Joey Donner (Andrew Keegan) pays him to take Kat out.
Following Stiles and Sosa’s emotional dance, which featured some of Ledger’s iconic moves, the poem her character reads in the film about Patrick starts playing in the ballroom. After the actress lays a flower on the ground in honor of Ledger, she is joined by her fellow co-stars, including Keegan, Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Cameron James), Larisa Oleynik (Bianca Stratford), Gabrielle Union (Chastity) and Susan May Pratt (Mandella).
Ahead of the new DWTS episode, Sosa took to Instagram to share how important this dance was for both of them.
Read more Hunter Schafer Reveals She Underwent Gender-Affirming Bottom Surgery
“I don’t think we’ve every approached a performance with more care, sensitivity, and intention than this one,” Sosa wrote in the joint post with Stiles. “From the very beginning it was incredibly important to both Julia and I that this tribute be created with the utmost respect, thoughtfulness, and close guidance from those who hold Heath and his memory closest. This isn’t about defining a relationship or telling a story that isn’t ours to tell. It’s about honoring a beautiful moment in time, a film that changed so many lives, and someone whose impact continues to be felt by generations.”
“We’ve poured so much love into this piece, and we’re incredibly grateful for the trust placed in us to bring it to life,” he added. “Our only hope is that it honors his memory with the dignity, love, and respect it deserves.”
Ledger died in 2008 at the age of 28 from an accidental overdose.
10 Things I Hate About You, directed by Gil Junger, follows teen Joey who wants to date Bianca, but she can’t date until her antisocial older sister, Kat, has a boyfriend, per her strict father’s rules. That’s when Joey pays a mysterious boy, Patrick, to ask Kat out.
Read more John Oliver Hosts Comic Relief’s 40th Anniversary Night at Carnegie Hall
