Culture 3 min read By Morgan Griffin
Julia Stiles Reunites With '10 Things I Hate About You' Cast and Honors Heath Ledger on 'Dancing With the Stars'
Julia Stiles performed a contemporary routine to 'Can't Take My Eyes Off You' on Dedication Night, reuniting with her 1999 film castmates and paying tribute to the late Heath Ledger.
Julia Stiles brought a piece of late-1990s Hollywood back to the ballroom on Tuesday night's episode of «Dancing With the Stars.» The actress performed a contemporary routine with her partner Ezra Sosa during the show's Dedication Night, choosing to honor the late Heath Ledger and the 1999 film that helped define both of their careers, «10 Things I Hate About You.»
The performance was set to «Can't Take My Eyes Off You,» the Frankie Valli song that Ledger's character, Patrick Verona, famously sang over the school's public address system in the film. Stiles danced the routine as several of her former castmates looked on from the audience, turning the number into a reunion as much as a tribute.
According to the actress, the choice of dedication came from a quality she admired in Ledger and wanted to bring into her own performance. Stiles told Sosa that she had always admired Ledger's «lust for life» and hoped to capture some of that spirit in the dance. The routine drew visible emotion from Stiles, who was seen crying during the tribute.
«10 Things I Hate About You,» a modern retelling of Shakespeare's «The Taming of the Shrew,» starred Stiles as Kat Stratford and Ledger as Patrick, the brooding transfer student who is paid to date her. The film became a touchstone for a generation of viewers and remains one of Ledger's most beloved early roles. Ledger died in 2008 at age 28, and tributes to him have continued in the years since, often centered on the warmth and unpredictability he brought to his performances.
The reunion on «Dancing With the Stars» placed the film's cast back in the spotlight nearly three decades after its release. Dedication Night, a fixture of the competition series, asks each celebrity contestant to perform a routine in honor of someone meaningful in their life, and this season's installment featured the remaining 10 celebrities and their professional partners. The episode leaned heavily on personal stories and produced a notably emotional broadcast.
For Stiles, the appearance marked another chapter in a career that has moved between film, television, and directing. She has remained closely associated with «10 Things I Hate About You» even as she has taken on dramatic roles in projects such as the «Bourne» films and the series «Riviera.» Returning to the song and the story that introduced her to many viewers gave the performance a sense of closure and celebration rather than mourning alone.
The tribute also highlighted how deeply the film's fans and its cast remain attached to Ledger's memory. Cast reunions around «10 Things I Hate About You» have become occasional events, and each one tends to revive affection for the movie's mix of wit, romance, and teenage rebellion. On Tuesday, that affection was on display in the ballroom, where a song once used as a romantic gesture became a way of saying goodbye again.
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