The cast of the ’90s teen classic 10 Things I Hate About You reunited during Tuesday night’s episode of Dancing with the Stars to honor the late Heath Ledger.
Actress Julia Stiles, 45, and her dancing partner, pro Ezra Sosa, 25, choreographed a contemporary routine to Frankie Valli’s “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You,” the song Ledger’s character, Patrick Verona, used to serenade Stiles’ character, Kat Stratford, in the 1999 hit romcom.
At the end of their routine, Sosa left the stage, and Stiles was joined by cast Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Gabrielle Union, Larisa Oleynik, Susan May Pratt and Andrew Keegan.
They linked arms and looked up toward a screen above them displaying a photo of Ledger, who died in 2008 of an accidental overdose at the age of 28.
In a clip that played before she and Sosa began the routine that earned them a 36/40, Stiles said she was “so charmed” by Ledger and that it was “so easy” to work with him.
“I learned a lot from Heath. He was so authentic,” Stiles said.
“I have so many great memories, but I’m also sad because I really wish that I could pick up the phone and be like, ‘Hey, dude. People really care about that movie. We did something special,’” she went on.
Stiles added: “The spark in him that you see throughout that movie is what I’m trying to channel because life is too short and we should enjoy every minute that we have on this planet.”
Based on Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew, the 1999 film helped launch the careers of Ledger, Stiles, and Gordon-Levitt.
Before the show, Stiles and Sosa said the routine and tribute was “created with the utmost respect, thoughtfulness and close guidance from those who hold Heath and his memory closest.”
“This isn’t about defining a relationship or telling a story that isn’t ours to tell,” they said in a joint statement posted to Instagram. “It’s about honoring a beautiful moment in time, a film that changed so many lives, and someone whose impact continues to be felt by generations.”
