Julia Stiles Spoke To Michelle Williams Before Honoring Heath Ledger On "DWTS"

Ellen DurneyThu, October 22, 2026 at 11:21 AM UTC

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Though Heath Ledger's career was tragically cut short following his death in 2008, the Australian actor delivered countless memorable performances. But one of his most beloved movies has to be 10 Things I Hate About You, which kick-started his Hollywood career in 1999.

Sean Gallup / Getty Images, ©Buena Vista Pictures/Courtesy Everett CollectionHeath memorably starred in the Shakespeare-inspired rom-com opposite Julia Stiles. And on this week's episode of Dancing with the Stars, Julia paid tribute to Heath with a beautiful contemporary routine to "Can’t Take My Eyes Off You" by Frankie Valli.

Courtesy Everett Collection, Eric McCandless / Getty Images

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As you'll probably remember, the song features in the movie when Heath's character, Patrick, sings it to Julia's character, Kat, as a romantic gesture during her soccer practice.

©Buena Vista Pictures/Courtesy Everett CollectionHeath's performance in the film is undeniably iconic, and Julia and her dance partner, Ezra Sosa, put their own spin on the classic scene on Tuesday night. You can watch the full routine here.

Eric McCandless / Getty ImagesHowever, the most emotional part of the performance came at the very end, when Julia was joined on the dancefloor by her fellow 10 Things co-stars, Gabrielle Union, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Andrew Keegan, Susan May Pratt, and Larisa Oleynik. (David Krumholtz later explained that he would've "loved" to have been there, but couldn't make it as he was busy shooting a movie in New York.)

Ser Baffo / Getty Images / Touchstone / courtesy Everett Collection

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The co-stars stood arm in arm and took a moment to look up at the big screen, where a sweet photograph of Julia and Heath was displayed.

ABC / Dancing With The Stars / Viayoutu.beAs you'd expect, the tribute is getting loads of attention online, and in a subsequent interview with Variety, Julia explained why it was so important to ensure that her 10 Things castmates were there for the moment.

Ser Baffo / Getty Images"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," she told the outlet, adding that it was "really trippy" to see herself in a blue dress, similar to the one she wore in the film. "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."

© Buena Vista Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection

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Wanting to be as respectful as possible, Julia also revealed that she went out of her way to ask Michelle Williams, Heath's ex, for permission before proceeding with the tribute.

Jeffrey Mayer / Getty ImagesIn a post-show interview with Extra, Julia was asked about Heath's family's reaction to the tribute. "I can't speak on that," she said, "[but] I did ask Michelle if this was okay, and she said yes."

Extratv / Viayoutu.beHeath and Michelle started dating in 2005 after meeting on the set of their critically acclaimed movie, Brokeback Mountain. The couple welcomed a daughter, Matilda Ledger, in October of that year. Heath and Michelle broke up amicably in September 2007, and Heath died just a few months later, when Matilda was 2 years old.

Evan Agostini / Getty Images

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In the comments section of the Extra interview, people have praised Julia for "respecting Michelle and the family." "Mad respect for Julia checking in with Michelle on this dance and making sure it's would be okay with them," one user wrote. "She didn't have to but clearly she respects Michelle and Matilda enough to make sure it was okay......And not speaking for their reactions to it."

@letseatcookies_ / Viax.com

@lozzboland / Viax.comBRB, time to rewatch 10 Things I Hate About You! Let me know your thoughts on all this in the comments.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”