Julia Stiles asked Michelle Williams for permission before performing emotional tribute to Heath Ledger on DWTS

DAILYMAIL.COM • 56m ago

By SONIA HORON, US ASSISTANT SHOWBIZ EDITOR and JACQUELINE LINDENBERG 03:41 22 Oct 2026, updated 03:56 22 Oct 2026

Julia Stiles sought Michelle Williams’s permission before paying an emotional tribute to her late co-star Heath Ledger on Dancing with the Stars.

The actress, 45, revealed that she checked in with Williams, 46 – who is the mother of the late actor’s only child – about the performance ahead of time.

‘I did ask Michelle if this was OK and she said yes,’ Stiles, who starred alongside Ledger in the 1999 film 10 Things I Hate About You, told Extra TV following her and pro partner Ezra Sosa’s performance for Tuesday’s Dedication Night.

After she was asked what she thought Ledger’s family will think of their routine, Stiles told the publication, ‘I can’t speak on that, I can’t… I don’t want to speak for them, I’m sorry.’

She also shared why she wanted to incorporate the rest of her 10 Things I Hate About You cast in the routine.

‘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 said.

‘I was like, “It has to be the whole cast, it can’t just be one person, it’s got to be everybody,”‘ she said.

She went on to describe Ledger as a ‘beacon of light’ and ‘the leader of the pack’ on set.

‘He was always very playful and made it such a fun set to be on and brought out the light in everyone,’ she said.

Stiles and Sosa danced a contemporary routine to Frankie Valli’s Can’t Take My Eyes Off You – a song Ledger’s character sings to Stiles in the film.

The actress wore a blue dress with shimmering details as she confidently moved about the ballroom floor.

At the end of the choreography, a picture of Stiles and Ledger in the movie appeared on screen in the background.

She was then joined by a number of her co-stars from the film, including Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Andrew Keegan, Susan May Pratt, Larisa Oleynik and Gabrielle Union.

They all stood next to each other while looking up at the image before coming together for an emotional embrace.

Their dance earned them a score of 36 out of 40.

I’m Andrew Court, LA Showbiz Editor and celebrity connoisseur.

I’ve spent the past decade chasing down celebrity scoops and scandals, and now I’m bringing the best of them straight to your inbox.

Social media users soon took to X to share their thoughts over the performance, with one penning, ‘The Julia Stiles trib[ute] to Heath Ledger on DWTS…I’m in bits.’

‘Julia Stiles dwts i just cried at work,’ a fan typed, and one added, ‘Julia Stiles dedicating her dance for Heath Ledger. The Poem voiceover, The Rose, and Entire Cast at the end. My Millennial Heart.’

Another said, ‘When I say I literally cried…. I MEAN IT! at the beautiful touchy poem and the whole cast gathered together to honor Heath Ledger OH BEAUTIFUL! JULIA STILES I LOVE YOU.’

During a video package before the performance, Stiles reflected on her friendship with the late actor amid rehearsals.

‘I learned a lot from Heath,’ Stiles expressed to Sosa. ‘It was so easy with him.’

The actress continued: ‘I have so many great memories. I really wish I could pick up the phone, and be like, “Hey dude.”‘

Speaking to Variety about the tribute, Julia said: ‘If we had to have someone with us on stage representing Heath’s legacy or the film, I said it had to be the whole cast. I begged them, each and every one of them, and they all rallied. They really did.’

‘At 17 years old, I never would have thought that I’d be here at 45, celebrating my body, dancing on the show that I absolutely love, and that fans are still interested in this movie and still moved and touched by this movie,’ she added.

Ledger died of an accidental overdose at the age of 28 in 2008, nine years after the movie came out.

The actor’s romance with Williams began in 2004 when they met on the set of Brokeback Mountain.

The next year the pair welcomed their daughter, Matilda, now 20.

They split up in 2007, and the actor died in January 2008.

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