Julia Stiles Says She Asked Michelle Williams for Permission to Dedicate ‘Transformative’ “DWTS ”Tribute to Heath Ledger
Julia Stiles Says She Asked Michelle Williams for Permission to Dedicate ‘Transformative’ “DWTS ”Tribute to Heath Ledger
Madison E. GoldbergThu, October 22, 2026 at 4:57 AM UTC
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Julia Stiles revealed that she asked for Michelle Williams’ approval of her tribute honoring her late 10 Things I Hate About You costar Heath Ledger for Dancing with the Stars
The Tuesday, Oct. 19 dance featured the original Frankie Valli version of Ledger’s memorable cover “Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You” from the 1999 film
Several castmates joined Stiles onstage after the emotional dedication night routine, including Joseph Gordon Levitt and Andrew Keegan
Julia Stiles says she asked Michelle Williams for permission to dedicate her emotionally moving Dancing with the Stars tribute to the late Heath Ledger, whom she starred alongside in 1999’s 10 Things I Hate About You.
Julia Stiles; Michelle WilliamsCredit: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic; Steve Granitz/FilmMagic
In a new interview with Extra, Stiles, 45, said she asked Williams, 46, “if this was okay.”
“And she said, yes,” Stiles said of Williams, who is the mother of the late Ledger’s 20-year-old daughter, Matilda.
“I was like bawling the first day of rehearsals because of all the nostalgia and the memories,” Stiles added. “But also because I was… bumping up against something.”
Stiles credited her dance pro partner Ezra Sosa’s emotional sensitivity as they worked through the choreography, which she called a “transformative” moment.
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“He clocked it and he changed the concept or the way that we thought about the dance in a way that really opened me up, and I’m forever grateful,” Stiles told the outlet.
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Julia Stoles and her ‘10 Things I Hate About You’ castmates reunite for ‘Dancing with the Stars’Credit: ABC
Stiles and Sosa danced to Frankie Valli’s classic song “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You,” a song Ledger famously performed in 10 Things I Hate About You, when his character Patrick Verona makes a grand romantic gesture to get Kat Stratford’s (Stiles) attention during soccer practice.
In a powerful DWTS moment, Stiles was joined onstage by several of her 10 Things I Hate About You castmates, including Joseph Gordon Levitt, Larisa Oleynik, Gabrielle Union, Susan May Pratt, and Andrew Keegan at the conclusion of her routine on Tuesday, Oct. 19.
“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,’ ” Stiles told PEOPLE exclusively ahead of the dance. “But something about watching clips from that movie, seeing our pictures, hearing our voices is bringing up a lot.”
Ledger was 28 when he died in 2008 from an accidental prescription drug overdose. He was previously in a relationship with Williams, whom he met on the set of Brokeback Mountain. The former couple welcomed Matilda during the press tour for the groundbreaking film, and amicably split in 2007.
Michelle Williams and Heath Ledger in 2006Credit: Gregg DeGuire/WireImage
10 Things I Hate About You, a modern interpretation of William Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew, follows the fiercely independent and progressive Kat and her popularity-hungry younger sister Bianca as they navigate high school in different ways—until their father (Larry Miller) forbids Bianca from dating unless her sister also has a date. When new student Cameron (Levitt) wishes to date Bianca, he enlists the help of Patrick (Ledger) to fall in love with Kat.
Dancing with the Stars airs live Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and Disney+ and streams the next day on Hulu.
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