More than 18 years after Heath Ledger's death, one of his most memorable movie moments has returned to the spotlight—and this time, Julia Stiles helped bring it to life through dance.
The actress paid tribute to her late 10 Things I Hate About You co-star during the October 20 episode of Dancing With the Stars, turning her Dedication Night performance into a celebration of the actor, their 1999 film and the memories they shared.
Partnering with professional dancer Ezra Sosa, Stiles performed a contemporary routine to Frankie Valli's Can't Take My Eyes Off You, the song Ledger's character famously sang to win over Stiles' character in the romantic comedy.
The performance ended with Stiles laying a rose beside an image of herself and Ledger from the film. The moment became even more emotional when five former castmates joined her on the dance floor.
Why this song made the tribute special
In 10 Things I Hate About You, Ledger played Patrick Verona, the rebellious teenager who serenades Kat Stratford, played by Stiles, in one of the film's best-known scenes.
The original scene became an enduring part of the movie's appeal, with Ledger dancing across the school bleachers while singing to Kat.
For the Dancing With the Stars tribute, Stiles and Sosa incorporated elements of that memorable sequence into their choreography. The routine also drew on the film's emotional history, connecting the adult Stiles with the teenager she had been when the movie was made.
Stiles explained that she wanted to capture the joy and energy Ledger brought to the original scene rather than simply recreate it.
After the performance, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Gabrielle Union, Larisa Oleynik, Andrew Keegan and Susan May Pratt joined Stiles onstage. Together, they stood with linked arms while looking at the image of Ledger displayed above them.
Stiles said she wanted the whole cast involved because they had worked together as a close group. She did not want a single former cast member to represent the film or Ledger's legacy on their behalf.
The reunion made the tribute about the collective experience of creating a film that continued to matter to audiences decades later.
Stiles described Ledger as authentic, playful and someone who brought out the best in people around him.
She recalled that his energy made others shine and that working with him had felt remarkably natural. Revisiting the film's footage during rehearsals brought back memories she had not expected to feel so intensely.
Ledger died in January 2008 at the age of 28 from an accidental prescription-drug overdose. His death cut short a career that had already included major performances in films such as A Knight's Tale and Brokeback Mountain. He later received a posthumous Academy Award for his portrayal of the Joker in The Dark Knight.
Stiles' tribute offered an opportunity to remember not only Ledger's achievements but also the personal impression he left on the people who worked with him.
The judges awarded Stiles and Sosa a combined score of 36 out of 40, with each judge giving the routine a nine.
But the significance of the performance extended beyond the competition's scoring system. It brought together a familiar song, a defining scene from a beloved film and a cast whose connection to Ledger remained meaningful years after his death.
The tribute also reminded viewers how certain performances can outlive the circumstances in which they were created. A scene filmed in 1999 was still capable of moving audiences in 2026 because it carried memories, emotion and a connection to an actor whose career ended too soon.
Celebrity tributes can sometimes become exercises in nostalgia. This one had a more personal foundation: Stiles was remembering a colleague whose presence had shaped her experience of making the film.
The reunion also showed how a movie's legacy can be sustained by the people who made it and the audiences who continue to revisit it.
For viewers who grew up with 10 Things I Hate About You, the performance brought back a familiar cinematic moment. For younger audiences, it offered a reminder of Ledger's appeal before his later, widely celebrated roles.
Most importantly, it allowed Stiles and her former castmates to honour their shared history without pretending that a dance could replace the person they had lost.
Did Julia Stiles' tribute bring back memories of Heath Ledger's iconic serenade in 10 Things I Hate About You?
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