Julia Stiles Pays Tribute to Heath Ledger on Dancing With the Stars

Julia Stiles danced a tribute to Heath Ledger on Dancing With the Stars, and she asked Michelle Williams first whether it was all right. Williams said yes, according to Variety.

Dancing With the Stars is the American reality show in which celebrities learn ballroom and other dance styles and compete week by week. Ledger and Williams dated from 2004 to 2007, and they share a daughter, Matilda.

The tribute was part of the show's Dedication Night, a special episode set aside for tributes (Yahoo Entertainment). Stiles performed to Frankie Valli's "I Can't Take My Eyes Off of You," a nod to 10 Things I Hate About You, the 1999 teen comedy. In that film, Ledger sang "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" himself.

Stiles told People she wanted to honour Ledger in a way that felt "authentic and sincere."

She was not alone on the stage. Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Larisa Oleynik, Gabrielle Union, Susan May Pratt and Andrew Keegan joined her for a 10 Things I Hate About You reunion on the show.

One familiar face was missing. David Krumholtz, who played Michael in the film, did not attend. He told People he was in upstate New York shooting a movie.

For viewers, the moment combined two threads: a dance built around a song from a 1999 film, and a cast reunion that happened on a television stage rather than a set. The show's Dedication Night gave the performance its place in the broadcast, and the reunion gave the film's fans a chance to see several of its cast together again.