Julia Stiles' Heath Ledger Tribute Had One More 10 Things Surprise Waiting at the End

Julia Stiles turned a Dancing With the Stars dedication into a full-on 1999 flashback. Her Heath Ledger tribute brought back one of 10 Things I Hate About You's most memorable songs, then added a reunion that gave the final moments even more weight.

1. The biggest reveal came after the dance was over

The most striking part of Stiles' tribute arrived in the closing beats. After she and pro partner Ezra Sosa finished their contemporary routine on Tuesday's Dedication Night episode, the music gave way to words from Kat Stratford's poem from 10 Things I Hate About You, while a still from the film filled the screen at the back of the ballroom.

Stiles then placed a rose beneath the image in honor of Ledger before being joined by several of her former castmates. Andrew Keegan, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Larisa Oleynik, Gabrielle Union and Susan May Pratt all stepped in, and Stiles linked arms with them at the end.

She later said that if anyone was going to be onstage to represent Ledger's legacy or the film, she wanted the whole cast there. According to Stiles, she personally reached out to each of them, and they came through.

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2. The routine was built around the movie moment fans never forgot

The dance itself leaned into one of the most recognizable scenes from the 1999 film. Stiles and Sosa performed to Frankie Valli's "Can't Take My Eyes Off You," the same song Ledger's Patrick Verona sings to Stiles' Kat Stratford in the movie.

In that scene, Patrick serenades Kat from the bleachers during soccer practice at the high school stadium, running through the stands as a marching band plays. It is the grand gesture that turned into one of the defining images of the film.

Stiles told Sosa that she had always admired Ledger's "lust for life," and wanted that spirit reflected in the routine. The performance also nodded to some of his best known movements from the film, tying the ballroom number directly back to the role that made Patrick Verona such a lasting rom-com figure.

3. Stiles and Ezra Sosa made clear they were not trying to rewrite anything

Ahead of the episode, Sosa explained on Instagram that this was not a number they approached casually. He said he and Stiles had never handled a performance with more care, sensitivity or intention.

He also said it mattered to both of them that the tribute be shaped with respect, thoughtfulness and close guidance from people who hold Ledger and his memory closest. Sosa stressed that the dance was not meant to define a relationship or tell a story that did not belong to them.

Instead, he described the piece as a way to honor a beautiful moment in time, a film that affected many people and someone whose impact is still felt across generations. He added that they put a great deal of love into it, were grateful for the trust involved, and hoped the routine would honor Ledger with dignity, love and respect.

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4. The emotional part started long before show night

Stiles said the rehearsals hit her harder than she expected. She had assumed she was far enough removed from the experience, given how many years had passed, but watching clips from the film, seeing images from it and hearing both her own voice and Ledger's brought back a flood of memories.

She said she ended up crying during practice. For her, that reaction was tied to something performers always hope for, that the work will make people feel something and care about it. She also said Ledger's memory continues to live on because his performance in the film was so powerful.

Another detail that affected her was how closely the tribute echoed the movie visually. Stiles said it felt "really trippy" to see herself in a blue dress similar to the one she wore in the film, with her hair styled in a similar way. She reflected that when she was 17, she never would have imagined being 45, celebrating her body on a show she loves while fans were still interested in the movie and still moved by it.

5. The night doubled as a reminder of how much 10 Things still means

The response inside the ballroom suggested the tribute landed. Stiles received four 9s for the routine, placing her among the highest scores of the night. Judge Carrie Ann Inaba told her that watching the performance made her want to open her heart.

The tribute also put the movie's place in pop culture back into focus. Directed by Gil Junger, 10 Things I Hate About You is a modern take on Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew. The story follows Joey, who wants to date Bianca, but cannot because her strict father says she cannot date until her older sister Kat has a boyfriend. Joey then pays Patrick to take Kat out. The film was Stiles' first major feature.

Stiles and Ledger met while making that movie. Ledger died in January 2008 at 28 from an accidental overdose. Later that year, he received a posthumous Oscar for playing the Joker in Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight.

What Stiles brought to Dancing With the Stars was not just a callback to a beloved teen movie. It was a reminder, in her own words, that people are still interested in 10 Things I Hate About You and are still touched by it.