It was an unforgettable night Dancing with the starslike the 10 things I hate about you cast members reunited on the ABC dance competition show to pay tribute to the late Heath Ledger.
Ahead of Tuesday’s episode, which was Dedication Night, it was revealed that Julia Stiles and her professional partner Ezra Sosa would dedicate their dance to Ledger, who starred alongside Stiles in the beloved 1999 romantic comedy.
The couple danced to Frankie Valli’s “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You,” which was the song Ledger’s Patrick Verona serenaded Stiles’ Kat Stratford with at her high school football practice. In the scene, he runs and dances through the stands while the marching band plays to try to convince her after Joey Donner (Andrew Keegan) pays him to eliminate Kat.
After Stiles and Sosa’s emotional dance, which featured some of Ledger’s signature moves, the poem his character reads in the film about Patrick begins to play in the ballroom. After the actress places a flower on the ground in Ledger’s honor, she is joined by her fellow co-stars, including Keegan, Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Cameron James), Larisa Oleynik (Bianca Stratford), Gabrielle Union (Chastity) and Susan May Pratt (Mandella).
Ahead of the new DWTS episode, Sosa took to Instagram to share how important this dance was to both of them.
“I don’t think we’ve all approached a performance with more care, sensitivity and intention than this one,” Sosa wrote in the joint message with Stiles. “From the beginning, it was extremely important to Julia and I that this tribute was created with the utmost respect, care and close guidance from those who hold Heath and his memory closest. It is not about defining a relationship or telling a story that is not ours. It is about honoring a beautiful moment in time, a film that changed so many lives and someone whose impact continues to be felt by generations.”
“We put so much love into this piece and we are incredibly grateful for the trust placed in us to bring it to life,” he added. “Our only hope is that he honors her memory with the dignity, love and respect she deserves.”
Ledger died in 2008 at the age of 28 following an accidental overdose.
10 things I hate about youDirected by Gil Junger, follows teenager Joey who wants to date Bianca, but she can’t date until her antisocial older sister, Kat, has a boyfriend, per her father’s strict rules. That’s when Joey pays a mysterious boy, Patrick, to ask Kat out.
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