Julia Stiles pays tribute to late co-star Heath Ledger on Dancing With The Stars

Julia Stiles paid tribute to her late co-star Heath Ledger with her latest performance on the US version of Dancing With The Stars.

The pair starred together in the 1999 romantic comedy 10 Things I Hate About You, with several members of the cast joining Stiles on the dance floor.

The actress and her dance partner Ezra Sousa performed a contemporary routine to Frankie Valli’s Can’t Take My Eyes Off You, a song Ledger’s character Patrick sings in the film to woo Stiles’ character Kat.

At the end of the routine, a photo of Stiles and Ledger together in the film appeared on screen as the actress laid a rose on the stairs.

She was then joined by her fellow 10 Things I Hate About You stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Gabrielle Union, Larisa Oleynik, Andrew Keegan and Susan May Pratt as they held hands while looking at the photo.

Ledger died of an accidental overdose of prescription drugs in 2008. He was 28.

Speaking ahead of her performance, Stiles said she “learned a lot” from Ledger and described him as “so authentic”.

She added: “I see pictures from that time, and I’m like, wow. It was so easy with him.

“I have so many great memories, but I’m also really sad, because I wish I could pick up the phone and be like, ‘Hey dude, people really care about that movie. We did something special.’ And I can’t do that.”

“I want to recreate the lust for life that he had in that scene.”

Heath Ledger at a photocall for the film 'I'm Not There', during the Venice Film Festival in Italy. — Heath Ledger at a photocall for the film ‘I’m Not There’, during the Venice Film Festival in Italy. PA Media

Stiles told Dancing With The Stars co-host Julianne Hough that she was reflecting on “who I was at 17 years old and who I am now” before the performance.

She said: “I remember that Heath just brought out the light in everybody. He was the leader of the pack at the time. He made everybody else shine.”

Before the performance, Stiles and Sousa shared a joint post on Instagram that read: “I don’t think we’ve ever approached a performance with more care, sensitivity, and intention than this one.

“From the very beginning, it was incredibly important to both Julia and I that this tribute be created with the utmost respect, thoughtfulness, and close guidance from those who hold Heath and his memory closest.”

Ledger was also known for his performances in A Knight’s Tale (2001) and Brokeback Mountain (2005).

He posthumously won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as the Joker in The Dark Knight (2008), considered one of the best villain performances of all time.