Julia Stiles and her fellow 10 Things I Hate About You cast members reunited to honor their late co-star Heath Ledger on Tuesday night’s episode of Dancing with the Stars.
Stiles and her dancing partner pro, Ezra Sosa, brought the ballroom to their feet with their final “Dedication Night” performance, a contemporary dance to Frankie Valli’s “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You.”
At the end of the emotional dance, Sosa left the ballroom floor and then Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Gabrielle Union, Larisa Oleynik, Susan May Pratt and Andrew Keegan linked arms with Stiles as they looked up toward the screen above them featuring Ledger’s photo.
Ledger and Stiles co-starred in 10 Things I Hate About You back in 1999, playing Patrick Verona and Kat Stratford. In one memorable scene, Ledger as Verona serenades Stiles’ Stratford with Valli’s hit song.
Ledger died nearly a decade after they made the movie, in January 2008, after an accidental overdose. He was 28.
After their performance, Stiles remembered Ledger, whom she called “magnetic.”
“He just brought out the light in everybody and he was the leader of the pack at the time,” Stiles recalled. “He just made everybody else shine. He was always about play.”
Sosa also shared a reflection in an Instagram post, writing in part, “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. Our only hope is that it honors his memory with the dignity, love, and respect it deserves.”
The judges rewarded Stiles and Sosa with scores of 9 across the board, bringing their combined final score to 36.
New episodes of Dancing with the Stars air live on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and Disney+. They are available to stream the next day on Hulu.
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