Julia Stiles Draws Online Debate Over Heath Ledger Tribute

Julia Stiles Brings Dancing With the Stars Audience Back to 1999 With Heath Ledger Tribute

It’s amazing that people still care about that movie, and it’s just sad that we can’t celebrate it with him, Julia Stiles said on Instagram regarding her late co-star Heath Ledger. On October 20, Stiles delivered an emotional contemporary routine on Dancing with the Stars alongside her professional partner Ezra Sosa, honoring Ledger during the show’s Dedication Night, Bored Panda reported.

Dancing to Frankie Valli on Dedication Night

Stiles and Sosa performed to Frankie Valli’s 1967 hit “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You,” a direct homage to the famous 1999 scene in 10 Things I Hate About You where Ledger’s character, Patrick Verona, serenades Stiles’s character, Kat Stratford, from the bleachers. Stiles admitted in a pre-recorded package that watching clips from the film brought back powerful memories of working with Ledger. The performance earned the couple nines across the board for a total score of 36 out of 40, according to Page Six.

Cast Reunion on the Ballroom Floor

At the conclusion of the routine, Sosa left Stiles on the ballroom floor as her iconic movie monologue played and an overhead projection displayed a photo of her and Ledger. Stiles placed a rose on the floor before revealing five of her original 10 Things I Hate About You castmates: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Larisa Oleynik, Andrew Keegan, Susan May Pratt, and Gabrielle Union. The group stood shoulder-to-shoulder facing an image of Ledger. Heath just brought out the light in everybody, Stiles told co-host Julianne Hough after the routine. And he was the leader of the pack at the time. Ledger passed away in 2008 at the age of 28 from an accidental overconsumption of prescription medications, nine years after the release of the teen comedy.

Viewers Debate the Intent Behind the Performance

While initial viewer reactions praised the nostalgia and the reunion, the performance soon drew mixed online feedback. Some X users accused the actress of using Ledger's memory for fame and attention, questioning the display given that Stiles acknowledged in a 2016 ABC interview that she and Ledger had drifted apart after filming ended. Critics labeled the routine “fake and phony” or asked why the cast was acting as if he had passed away recently. Conversely, supporters defended the tribute as a heartfelt nod to a shared cultural milestone. Ahead of the broadcast, Stiles confirmed to Extra that she had sought approval from Michelle Williams—Ledger’s former partner from 2004 to 2007 and the mother of his daughter Matilda—asking simply if the tribute was acceptable, to which Williams replied yes.