Actress Julia Stiles captivated the audience on Dancing With the Stars with a touching tribute to her late co-star Heath Ledger. Last week, she received praise for a performance inspired by her role in the 2001 film Save the Last Dance. This week, she honored her character from the 1999 movie 10 Things I Hate About You, where she starred alongside Ledger.
Stiles and her dance partner, Ezra Sosa, executed a contemporary routine to Frankie Valli’s song “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You.” At the conclusion of their dance, Stiles honored Ledger by leaving a rose in front of a picture of them from the film. She also surprised the audience by bringing the original cast of the movie onto the dance floor.
In a video shown before their dance, Stiles reflected on Ledger, stating that he was very genuine and that she has many fond memories of him. She also expressed a sense of loss, wishing she could talk to him about the impact their movie had. Stiles and Sosa began their dance, which featured choreography reminiscent of Ledger’s character, Patrick Verona, who famously plays the song at a school stadium to impress Stiles’ character, Kat Stratford. Stiles wore a shimmering blue dress similar to her prom outfit in the movie and styled her hair to resemble her character.
As the routine wrapped up, Sosa stepped back, allowing Stiles to stand alone on stage with a red rose. She faced a large screen that displayed a scene from 10 Things I Hate About You, where her character reads an emotional poem about Ledger’s character. After placing the rose at the foot of the steps, Stiles’ voice echoed the heartfelt words from that moment in the film.
Following this, cast members from the movie, including Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Gabrielle Union, Larisa Oleynik, Andrew Keegan, and Susan May Pratt, came on stage to share a touching moment with Stiles. In an Instagram video before the performance, Union showed her support for Stiles, encouraging her before the dance.
The performance received loud applause from the audience, and the judges on DWTS scored Stiles and Sosa with 36 out of 40 points. Fans of both the film and Ledger took to the comments section of the video to express their feelings about the routine. Many shared how emotional the performance was and praised Stiles and Sosa for their work, with comments reflecting on the nostalgia and remembrance of Ledger.
What did you think of Julia Stiles’ tribute to Heath Ledger?
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Source: Upworthy, by Emily Shiffer