Julia Stiles paid an emotional tribute to her late 10 Things I Hate About You co-star Heath Ledger during Dedication Night on Dancing with the Stars, leaving fans and castmates in tears.
The 45-year-old actress, competing with pro-partner Ezra Sosa, chose to honor Ledger, who played Patrick to her Kat in the 1999 film. Ledger died in 2008 at age 28.
A Dance to a Beloved Song
Stiles and Sosa performed a contemporary routine to Frankie Valli's "Can't Take My Eyes Off You," the song Patrick famously serenaded Kat with in the movie. As the routine ended, a wall lit up with an image of Stiles and Ledger, accompanied by a voiceover of Kat's poem.
Stiles, visibly teary-eyed, placed a rose on the steps before the image. Her 10 Things I Hate About You castmates—Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Gabrielle Union, Larisa Oleynik, Andrew Keegan, and Susan May Pratt—joined her on stage, standing arm-in-arm.
Fans and Cast React
The tribute deeply affected viewers. "This will forever make me cry," Bella wrote on X. "Burst into tears first thing in the morning," Anna agreed. "I was sobbing like crazy watching this," Luke shared.
Reflecting on her memories, Stiles said: "I see pictures from that time, and I'm like, wow. It was so easy with him. I have so many great memories, but I'm also really sad, because I wish I could pick up the phone and be like: 'Hey dude, people really care about that movie. We did something special.' And I can't do that. I want to recreate the lust for life that he had in that scene."
An Emotional Preparation
Stiles told co-host Julianne Hough that "Heath just brought out the light in everybody. He was the leader of the pack at the time. He made everybody else shine."
Speaking to People, she admitted the preparation was surprisingly emotional. "I know from watching the show how emotional Dedication Night is. It's always very personal stories. But I thought: 'Oh, I'm distanced enough from it. The movie was so many years ago.' But something about watching clips from that movie, seeing our pictures, hearing our voices is bringing up a lot," she concluded.
