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Julia Stiles Honors Heath Ledger With '10 Things' Cast on DWTS
· Confirmed
In Short: Julia Stiles reunited with her '10 Things I Hate About You' castmates on 'Dancing with the Stars' to honor Heath Ledger.
During a recent episode of Dancing with the Stars, Julia Stiles paid tribute to the late Heath Ledger by reuniting with her co-stars from the 1999 film '10 Things I Hate About You'.
Stiles and her professional dance partner Ezra Sosa performed a contemporary routine set to 'Can’t Take My Eyes Off You' by Frankie Valli, a nod to Ledger's character Patrick Verona serenading her character Kat Stratford in the film.
She also shared that she wanted to recreate Ledger's 'lust for life' in her performance, aiming to capture the essence of his character Patrick Verona.
Towards the end of the routine, Stiles placed a rose on the dance floor near a photo of her and Ledger from the movie, creating a poignant tribute.
The cast of '10 Things I Hate About You' joined Stiles on stage, including Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Gabrielle Union, Larisa Oleynik, Andrew Keegan, and Susan May Pratt.
Stiles explained, 'I said, if we had to have someone with us on stage representing Heath’s legacy or the film, I said it had to be the whole cast. I begged them, each and every one of them, and they all rallied. They really did.'
The performance concluded with a still from the film playing on the screen as Stiles stood alone on the dance floor, reflecting on her time with Ledger.
Stiles and Sosa's routine received a score of 36 out of 40, with Stiles noting, 'What came up for me a lot in this dance was remembering who I was at 17 years old and who I am now.'
What this adds
Stiles and Sosa approached the performance with care, sensitivity, and intention, aiming to honor Ledger's memory with dignity, love, and respect.
Background
Stiles and Sosa approached the performance with care, sensitivity, and intention, aiming to honor Ledger's memory with dignity, love, and respect.
What's confirmed
- Home » Julia Stiles’ 10 Things Reunion on DWTS Brings Heath Ledger’s Legacy Full Circle Julia Stiles paid tribute to the late Heath Ledger during a recent episode of Dancing with the Stars.
- Stiles told her partner Ezra Sosa that she had always admired his “lust for life” and wanted to replicate that in her contemporary routine, which the pair aptly performed to “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” by Frankie Valli.
- “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,” they said in a statement.
- “I learned a lot from Heath … It was so easy with him. I have so many great memories. I really wish I could pick up the phone, and be like, ‘Hey dude,’” she said in her rehearsal package before the dance.
- Actors Andrew Keegan, Susan May Pratt, Larisa Oleynik, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Gabrielle Union joined Stiles on the ballroom floor, creating a heartwarming reunion.
- “I said, if we had to have someone with us on stage representing Heath’s legacy or the film, I said it had to be the whole cast. I begged them, each and every one of them, and they all rallied. They really did,” Stiles told Variety after the routine.
- After slowly stepping away, Stiles joined her fellow co-stars from the film, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Larisa Oleynik, Andrew Keegan, Gabrielle Union and Susan May Pratt, as they wrapped their arms around each other and stared up at the screen.
- “He just walked into the room and lit it up,” she told E!
- “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,” they added.
- Then, the cast members Gabrielle Union, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Andrew Keegan, Susan May Pratt, and Larisa Oleynik popped up to pay homage to the actor (via PEOPLE ).
What's still developing
- She further added that she wanted to create the “lust for life” Ledger had in that one particular scene through her performance.
- Moreover, she shared details about her experience working with Ledger and how she learned a lot from him.
- He and Stiles met on the set of 10 Things I Hate About You, which is a modern retelling of Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew.
- In the last few moments of the routine, Sosa leaves Stiles on the dance floor as her monologue from the film played in lieu of music and a still from the film took over the screen at the back of the room.
- The movie follows Patrick Verona (Ledger), a high school bad boy who is recruited by Cameron James (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) to woo Kat Stratford (Stiles), a militant feminist whose refusal to date is preventing her parents from allowing her younger sister, Bianca (Larisa Oleynik) from dating.
- The pair starred together in the 1999 romantic comedy 10 Things I Hate About You, with several members of the cast joining Stiles on the dance floor.
- Stiles reflected on her time with Ledger while they were filming their ’90s rom-com “10 Things I Hate About You,” in which Ledger’s role as the mischievous Patrick Verona solidified him as a teen heartthrob.
- 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.
- Stiles said during rehearsals that she wishes she could call up Ledger and tell him how much people still love their movie.
- MANILA, Philippines — Actress Julia Stiles referenced another one of her movies during her "Dancing with the Stars" (DWTS) stint, this time 1999's "10 Things I Hate About You." The teen romantic-comedy is a modern retelling of William Shakespeare's "The Taming of the Shrew" which stars Stiles as high school senior Kat Stratford and the late Heath Ledger as "bad boy" Patrick Verona.
- They then slowing things down as the song’s tempo dropped to allow Stiles a quiet moment to honor Ledger, who died at 28 in 2008 from an accidental prescription drug overdose.
- “We wanted to handle it delicately,” Stiles told PEOPLE of dedicating her performance on Tuesday, Oct. 20 to her late ‘10 Things I Hate About You’ costar Becca Longmire is a digital news writer-reporter at PEOPLE.