“Dancing With the Stars” had the stars and their professionals pay tribute to special people in their lives and with one came a reunion years in the making.
Julia Stiles and her partner Ezra Sosa danced to “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You,” the song Heath Ledger sang in the film “10 Things I Hate About You,” on “DWTS” Dedication Night.
Ledger died in 2008 at the age of 28 from an accidental drug overdose, People magazine reported.
Part of the tribute to Stiles’ costar included clips from the film and an emotional cast 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.
At the end of the dance, Stiles placed a rose on the stage in front of a photo of Ledger as her speech from the end of the film played, then Gabrielle Union, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Andre Keegan, Larissa Oleynik, and Susan May Pratt joined her on the dance floor.
Stiles said it was “really trippy” to relive the 1999 film and that it still resonates, Variety reported.
“At 17 years old, I never would have thought that I’d be here at 45, celebrating my body, dancing on the show that I absolutely love and that fans are still interested in this movie and still moved and touched by this movie,” Stiles said.
She also spoke about the emotions that came during rehearsal.
“I know that Dedication Night is emotional, but I thought I was distanced from it enough. Like, oh, it was so many years ago. Something about seeing clips from that movie and images and hearing my voice and hearing his voice is bringing back so many memories. It’s a lot,” she said, admitting that she was crying as she practiced. “One of the things that we really hope to do as performers is to make people feel something and have people care about the work that you do, and his memory lives on because it was such an incredible performance.”
During practice, Entertainment Weekly reported that she told Sosa, “I learned a lot from Heath. He was so authentic. I was so charmed by him. I see pictures from that time like, ‘Wow, it was so easy with him.’ I have so many great memories, but I’m also sad because I really wish that I could pick up the phone and be like, ‘Hey dude.’”
Entertainment Weekly said that “10 Things I Hated About You,” a contemporary retelling of William Shakespeare’s “The Taming of the Shrew,” was the breakout film for both Ledger and Stiles, grossing more than $53 million on a $13 million budget.
The dance had four 9s, earning her a 36 out of 40, Deadline reported.
Much of the iconic film was shot in Seattle and Tacoma – including scenes at Stadium High School, Gas Works Park, and more.
Earlier this year, it was announced that "10 Things I Hate About You" is heading to Broadway. Performances are set to begin on August 17, 2027 – 28 years after the movie hit theaters.
According to the show’s website, Lena Dunham and Jessica Huang are writing the book, while Carly Rae Jepsen and Ethan Gruska will write the music and lyrics.
Musical supervision, orchestrations, and arrangements will be by Tom Kitt. Christopher Wheeldon will direct and choreograph the show.
Casting and a Broadway theater have not yet been announced for the musical.
To sign up for news about the show and gain early access to tickets, click here.