Julia Stiles Teases DWTS Tribute to Heath Ledger for Dedication Night
Julia Stiles Has a 'Save the Last Dance' Reunion on 'Dancing With the Stars'
Julia Stiles promises fans will love more than 10 things about her next Dancing With the Stars routine.
More than 27 years after starring in 10 Things I Hate About You alongside Heath Ledger, she's planning to honor her late costar during the dance competition's Dedication Night on Oct. 20. And she and partner Ezra Sosa will do so through a contemporary routine to Frankie Valli's "Can't Take My Eyes Off You."
"We're still working it out," Stiles admitted on the Oct. 15 episode of Hulu's Get Real podcast, "but I know it's going to be really special."
After all, people may like their Skechers and love their Prada backpacks, but both Stiles and fans can agree that the scene where Ledger's Patrick Verona serenades Stiles' Kat Stratford with a rendition of the 1967 song is an all-timer. And the Bourne star is determined to do it justice in the ballroom.
"It was really, really, really special, and we're going to capture that in our performance," Stiles recalled in a recent livestream reshared on TikTok. "It's gonna be a lot. It's a great song, and he was amazing in that scene. So, we're gonna bring it for you guys."
The Save the Last Dance actress—mom to kids Strummer, 8, Arlo, 4, and a 2-year-old with husband Preston Cook—emphasized that she and Sosa will be balancing the grief of Ledger's 2008 death at age 28 with the beauty of that dance scene.
"It was important to me that, in the music and in the dance, that we have a somber tribute to him because obviously he's passed away and he's no longer with us," she explained, "but also that scene brings so much joy to people."
"His energy in it," she continued, "I wanted to have musically and in terms of the choreography. We want to have the joyful celebration of when he was around."
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And the legacy modern William Shakespeare retelling—which also starred Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Gabrielle Union, Andrew Keegan and Larisa Oleynik—has continued to loom large for Stiles. Specifically, the ways she didn't hate working with Ledger, not even close, not even a little bit, not even at all.
"He was amazing," she told E! News in January 2025. "He was such a bright light. He just walked into the room and lit it up."
"He was very kind and generous to me," Stiles explained, "when you're an actress in your first leading role in a big studio movie, you need to feel comfortable with the other person. And he was very generous that way."
As Stiles and Sosa lace up their dancing shoes for Dancing With the Stars' Dedication Night episode, keep reading for all the celebs competing for the Mirrorball Trophy.
Disney/Andrew Eccles
Julia Stiles & Ezra Sosa
You won't hate this news—the 10 Things I Hate About You star will be saving the last dance for her pro partner.
Disney/Andrew Eccles
Giada De Laurentiis & Alan Bersten
Cha-cha-chopping away... The celebrity chef will be turning up the heat this season.
Disney/Andrew Eccles
Harry Shum Jr. & Jenna Johnson
What did you miss on Glee? The actor taking his musical talents to the dance floor.
Disney/Andrew Eccles
Taylor Hanson & Britt Stewart
The former '90s teen heartthrob will hope to MMMBop his way to the top of the leaderboard on season 35.
Disney/Andrew Eccles
Tatyana Ali & Jan Ravnik
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air actress will be bringing her fresh moves to the dance floor.
Disney/Andrew Eccles
Jenna Dewan & Val Chmerkovskiy
Twenty years after starring in Step Up, the dancer is stepping up to the challenge.
Disney/Andrew Eccles
Amber Glenn & Pasha Pashkov
The 2026 Olympic figure skater will take her skills from the ice to the ballroom.
Disney/Andrew Eccles
Ezra Frech & Daniella Karagach
The Team USA Paralympic track and field athlete will show off his athleticism on DWTS.
Disney/Andrew Eccles
Sarah Jane Nader & Hailey Bills
After sister Brooks Nader competed on season 33, the Love Thy Nader star is trying her hand.
Disney/Andrew Eccles
Connor Wood & Rylee Arnold
The comedian, also known as Fibula on social media, is ready to earn more applause on DWTS.
Disney/Andrew Eccles
Conner Leavitt & Adele Zaikman
The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star is following in the footsteps of wife Whitney Leavitt—who competed on season 34.
Disney/Andrew Eccles
Tyler Cameron & Sharna Burgess
The Bachelor Nation star is trading in roses for rumbas.
Disney/Andrew Eccles
Jackson Olson & Emma Slater
The Savannah Bananas baseball player is stepping up to the plate, bringing his dance moves from the diamond to the ballroom.
Disney/Andrew Eccles
Guillermo Rodriguez & Witney Carson
The Jimmy Kimmel Live! star is ready to learn some new moves.
Disney/Andrew Eccles
Ciara Miller & Brandon Armstrong
The Summer House star is prepping for her turn in the ballrom.
"Looks are not indicative of being in shape," Ciara exclusively told E! News in June. "I do huff and puff going up the stairs, so I gotta get back into the gym and work on my stamina."
Disney/Andrew Eccles
Maura Higgins & Mark Ballas
The Love Island UK alum is hoping her love for DWTS doesn't betray her as she manifested this experience.
"I have a vision board and I redo it every year," she told E! News in May. "This year is the first year that I stayed at home by myself on New Year's Eve. I did not go out at all. I made myself a bowl of pasta and a glass of red wine and I redid my vision board for the year. Dancing With the Stars was already on it from the year before. However, I added five more Dancing With the Stars on the board."
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