Julia Stiles honors the late Heath Ledger with ’10 Things I Hate About You’ routine on ‘DWTS’

Actress Julia Stiles wowed the audience once again with a nostalgic nod to another of her beloved movie roles on last night’s Dancing With the Stars. Last week, Stiles performed a throwback routine to her 2001 movie Save the Last Dance, earning rave reviews. This week, she recreated an iconic dance from her 1999 movie 10 Things I Hate About You, in which she starred opposite the late Heath Ledger. Stiles and her partner, Ezra Sosa, performed a contemporary routine to Frankie Valli’s “Can’t Keep My Eyes Off You.” At the end of the performance, Stiles paid an emotional tribute to Ledger, leaving a rose as she stood before a photo of them from the film. She also surprised the DWTS audience by bringing the film’s original cast back together on the dance floor. Stiles performs “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” In the video package before the performance, Stiles shared, “I learned a lot from Heath. He was so authentic. I have so many great memories, but I’m also sad because I really wish I could pick up the phone and be like, ‘Hey, dude. People really care about that movie. We did something special.’” After Stiles and Sosa were introduced, they began a beautifully choreographed dance to Valli’s hit famously featured in 10 Things I Hate About You. In the movie, Ledger’s character, high schooler Patrick Verona, plays the song over the loudspeaker at the school’s stadium to woo Stiles’ character, Kat Stratford. It’s a dance seared into Millennial memories, and Stiles and Sosa recreated it with sentimental flair. Stiles wore a sparkling blue dress (similar to the one she wore to prom in the film) and long, curly hair extensions that made her resemble her on-screen self. The routine copied many of Ledger’s bleacher dance moves in the film, culminating in a tearjerking tribute to the actor. Honoring Heath Ledger As the routine ended, Sosa left Stiles alone onstage, holding a red rose. She faced a large screen where a photo of Stiles and Ledger from 10 Things I Hate About You appeared. As the music faded, Stiles’ voice took over from one of the film’s most emotional and nostalgic scenes: when her character reads a poem in class about Ledger’s character. “I hate it when you’re not around, and the fact that you didn’t call. But mostly I hate the way that I don’t hate you. Not even close. Not even a little bit. Not even at all,” she says, as she places the rose at the foot of the steps for Ledger. Cast of 10 Things I Hate About You reunites After Stiles placed the rose, cast members from the film joined her on stage for an emotional ending to the performance. Actors Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Gabrielle Union, Larisa Oleynik, Andrew Keegan, and Susan May Pratt all stood with Stiles, holding hands. In a video shared on Instagram from before the show with the cast and Stiles, Union said, “We are here tonight to support our girl, Julia Stiles. She’s gonna kill it!” The performance earned roaring applause from the crowd, and the DWTS judges awarded Stiles and Sosa 36/40 points. Viewers respond The performance was a hit with 10 Things I Hate About You and Ledger fans, who shared their thoughts in the video’s comments section: “Crying the entire dance, lost it with the rose and the cast coming out. The loss of Heath hit so hard and this just brought back all the feels 😢” “They even incorporated Heath Ledger’s moves into the dance. ❤ I love that! And all the cast at the end…👏👌🤩” “OH MY GOSH! I’m SOBBING! Props to Ezra, bringing her movies to life again. He has done great work this season. Pure light and love by showcasing and recreating a small piece of filmography brilliance in a new dance. She deserved a 10s. My nostalgia cup runneth over tonight. Amazing dedication dance. Heath is looking down proud. Had to make us cry with the poem at the end. RIP Heath. 🙏🏻🪽🕊️😭❤️🫶🏻” “Joke’s on you, Julia. I had already planned on sobbing my damn eyes out today!!” “Julia you can’t have me sobbing like this. It’s not fair.” “didnt expect to see the cast there omggg im sobbing” “The end of the dance when the cast came together 😭😭😭😭😭” “Her prom dress ❤”