Julia Stiles Asked Michelle Williams for Permission Before DWTS Tribute to Heath Ledger
Stiles was joined by several "10 Things I Hate About You" castmates for the emotional routine.
Julia Stiles sought and received permission from Michelle Williams before dedicating her "Dancing With the Stars" routine to the late Heath Ledger, who co-starred with Stiles in the 1999 film "10 Things I Hate About You."
"I did ask Michelle if this was OK and she said yes," Stiles told Extra TV after her and professional partner Ezra Sosa's performance on "Dedication Night." When asked about her thoughts on Ledger's family's potential reaction to the tribute, Stiles responded, "I can’t speak on that, I can’t… I don’t want to speak for them, I’m sorry."
Stiles explained her decision to incorporate the broader "10 Things I Hate About You" cast into the dedication. "When we decided we were going to do the dedication, we needed to have somebody here to sort of represent the movie and represent Heath," she stated. "It has to be the whole cast, it can’t just be one person, it’s got to be everybody."
Stiles described Ledger, her on-screen love interest in the film, as a "beacon of light" and "the leader of the pack" during the filming of "10 Things I Hate About You." She recalled him as "always very playful and made it such a fun set to be on and brought out the light in everyone."
The routine itself was a contemporary dance set to Frankie Valli's "Can't Take My Eyes Off You," a song famously sung by Ledger's character to Stiles' character in the movie. At the conclusion of the dance, Stiles was joined on stage by several of her "10 Things I Hate About You" co-stars, including Andrew Keegan, Susan May Pratt, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Larisa Oleynik, and Gabrielle Union. David Krumholtz was not present.
The performance earned Stiles and Sosa a score of 36 out of 40 from the judges.
Ledger died in January 2008 from an accidental overdose at the age of 28. He and Williams, who met on the set of "Brokeback Mountain" in 2004, welcomed their daughter, Matilda, in 2005. Matilda is now 20 years old. Ledger and Williams ended their relationship in 2007.