Week 6 of Dancing With The Stars is set to be a tear-jerker — after all, it is Dedication Night. After DWTS revealed who each star will be dedicating their dance to, the internet prepped their tissues, especially after learning that Julia Stiles’s dance will be dedicated to her late co-star, Heath Ledger.
On Oct. 14, PEOPLE posted each star’s dedication dance style, song, and the subject. And when it was revealed that Stiles’ dance would be dedicated to Ledger, her co-star and love interest in the film 10 Things I Hate About You, everyone was already in tears.
On a TikTok Live with her dance partner Ezra Sosa, Stiles also said that the two will be dancing contemporary to “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” by Frankie Valli. Fans of the film would know the song’s significance: Ledger’s character actually sings the classic to Stiles’s character in an iconic scene in the movie. The announcement has sparked a wave of edits and reaction videos to surface all over TikTok, because this is honestly one of the most universally heartfelt dedications she could have chosen.
If you haven’t watched, 10 Things I Hate About You is a 1999 romcom where Stiles’s character, Kat, navigates a dating rule set by her father while Ledger’s character, bad-boy Patrick, repeatedly tries to win her over — and the two inevitably fall for each other. The on-screen chemistry also radiated off-screen, where the two actors formed a close bond.
Ledger died at only 28 years old on Jan. 22, 2008, from an accidental drug overdose, and since then, Stiles has repeatedly spoken about their closeness and the fond memories she has with Ledger from filming. “When you’re an actress in your first leading role in a big studio movie, you need to feel comfortable with the other person. And he was very generous that way,” Stiles told E! News in a 2025 article about their bond.
Millennials and Gen Z have risen all over TikTok with videos of them already crying just thinking about the dance and what it means, and edits of them in the movie. Under one reaction video that says “NOBODY TALK TO ME” with the song playing over it, one comment says “if it’s Heath singing it I’ll sob,” and another says “my eyes don’t have enough tears to cry for this!!”
On X, similar reactions have been posted, with one person saying “man, he was gone way too soon,” and another saying “the way julia stiles is about to make an entire ballroom ugly cry and the judges will still have to pretend they’re fine after.” Relatable.
With Dedication Night still being five days away, the anticipation and emotions among fans will likely only grow. Their friendship honestly gives me hope in a world typically full of tension between men and women, even in friendships, and I think that’s part of what makes their story so moving. As the clock ticks down until the moment we finally get to witness what will likely be one of the most memorable dances of the season, I will definitely be watching 10 Things I Hate About You.