Julia Stiles honors Heath Ledger on 'Dancing With the Stars'
Julia Stiles paid tribute to her late "10 Things I Hate About You" co-star Heath Ledger on "Dancing With the Stars," according to Variety and People. She and partner Ezra Sosa danced to "Can't Take My Eyes Off You," the song Ledger's character sang to hers in the 1999 film. Castmates from the movie joined her on stage at the end.
Julia Stiles paid tribute to her late "10 Things I Hate About You" co-star Heath Ledger on Tuesday's Dedication Night episode of "Dancing With the Stars," according to Variety and People.
Stiles and her partner, Ezra Sosa, performed a contemporary routine to Frankie Valli's "Can't Take My Eyes Off You." In the 1999 film, Ledger's character, Patrick, sang the song to Stiles' character, Kat, from the bleachers, Variety reported. Stiles wore a blue dress that seemed to nod to an outfit she wore in the film, People reported.
At the end, she walked toward a photo of herself and Ledger from the film, People reported. Castmates Gabrielle Union, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Andrew Keegan, Susan May Pratt and Larisa Oleynik then joined her on stage. The routine scored 36 out of 40, E! News reported.
Stiles said in an interview with Variety that she wanted the whole cast there. "I begged them, each and every one of them, and they all rallied. They really did," she said. She added that she never thought she would be dancing on the show at 45 while fans were "still moved and touched by this movie."
She spoke to People about the weight of the moment. "I think we both felt a responsibility to be respectful, to honor him in a way that felt authentic and sincere. And we wanted to handle it delicately," she said. Sosa called the routine "definitely [a] labor of love," People reported.
Stiles said rehearsals were more emotional than she expected. "Something about seeing clips from that movie and images and hearing my voice and hearing his voice is bringing back so many memories," she said in an interview with Variety.
In a joint Instagram post before the show, Stiles and Sosa said the tribute was not about "defining a relationship or telling a story that isn't ours to tell," People reported. "Our only hope is that it honors his memory with the dignity, love, and respect it deserves," they wrote.
Ledger died in January 2008 at the age of 28, Variety reported.
What we know: Stiles honored Ledger with a dance to the song from their film, and her former castmates joined her.
What we don't: How the routine will affect her standing in the competition.
Where outlets agree Variety and People report that Stiles and Ezra Sosa danced to "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" to honor Ledger, joined at the end by her "10 Things I Hate About You" castmates.
Where they differ People reports that Stiles ended the routine walking toward a photo of herself and Ledger from the film, while E! News says she turned to a screen showing an image of Ledger.