On a recent evening of Dancing with the Stars, Julia Stiles stepped onto the floor to dance in memory of Heath Ledger, her co-star from 10 Things I Hate About You, and before doing so she reportedly asked Michelle Williams for permission, a small gesture that speaks to how long grief and loyalty can linger in a shared story. The moment grew into a reunion of former castmates, and the night also turned gently toward James Avery, so that the tribute became a way of holding several departed and remembered figures in one room. Yet the record is thin, drawn from headlines rather than full accounts,
Julia Stiles Sought Michelle Williams's Blessing to Dedicate DWTS Dance to Heath Ledger
She asked Michelle Williams for permission first.
Why does it matter that Stiles asked Michelle Williams first?
It shows she treated the dedication as something that touched other people's grief, not only her own. Williams is connected to Ledger, and Stiles apparently wanted her consent.
Careful, though. The only support for that is Entertainment Weekly's headline. We don't have what Stiles said or how Williams answered.
What else happened on the show?
Variety describes a 10 Things I Hate About You reunion during the tribute, and NBC News says James Avery was honored alongside Ledger.
We don't know who appeared, or how Avery was honored. Those are headline-level facts.
And Krumholtz?
The Hollywood Reporter wrote about why he was absent from the reunion.
Right, and the reason isn't in what we have. Anyone filling that in is guessing.
So what's solid?
That a tribute aired, that outlets covered it, and that Stiles reportedly asked Williams. Everything about the dance itself is still unknown.
The Pulse
- Julia Stiles reportedly asked Michelle Williams's permission before dancing for the late Heath Ledger, a request that puts a quiet tension of ownership and grief at the center of the moment.
- The episode stirred a 10 Things I Hate About You reunion, drawing former castmates back together on live television and turning a dance into a public gathering of memory.
- James Avery was also remembered during the tribute, widening the evening from one loss to several, though coverage does not detail how he was honored.
- Coverage raised the question of why David Krumholtz was not part of the reunion, an open thread the reporting does not answer.
- The story is still settling: fuller accounts of Stiles's words, any public response from Williams, and any explanation from the show or cast remain to be seen.
On a recent evening of Dancing with the Stars, Julia Stiles stepped onto the floor to dance in memory of Heath Ledger, her co-star from 10 Things I Hate About You, and before doing so she reportedly asked Michelle Williams for permission, a small gesture that speaks to how long grief and loyalty can linger in a shared story. The moment grew into a reunion of former castmates, and the night also turned gently toward James Avery, so that the tribute became a way of holding several departed and remembered figures in one room. Yet the record is thin, drawn from headlines rather than full accounts, and the absence of David Krumholtz reminds us that not every gathering shows the whole circle, nor does every silence carry a story we are entitled to know.
On a recent episode of Dancing with the Stars, Julia Stiles took the floor with a dance dedicated to her late co-star Heath Ledger. Before she did, according to Entertainment Weekly, she asked Michelle Williams for permission, a request that carries weight given how deeply the two performers' histories are tied to Ledger's memory.
The tribute grew beyond a solo moment. Variety reported a 10 Things I Hate About You reunion around the dance, with former castmates appearing in the room, though the headlines do not say who joined her. NBC News reported that James Avery was remembered alongside Ledger that night, though the details of how he was honored are not given.
The Hollywood Reporter turned instead to an absence, asking why David Krumholtz was not part of the reunion. The reason is not in the available material, and it would be wrong to guess.
The sourcing is thin: headlines from several outlets, with no full text, no quoted remarks from Stiles or Williams, and no details of the dance itself. What to watch for is fuller coverage of what Stiles said, whether Williams responds, and whether Krumholtz or the show explains his absence.
On a recent episode of Dancing with the Stars, Julia Stiles took the floor with a dance dedicated to her late co-star Heath Ledger. Before she did, according to Entertainment Weekly, she asked Michelle Williams for permission.
The request carries weight because of who Williams is in this story. She is not named in the available coverage as being involved in the broadcast itself. The headline describes only that Stiles sought her blessing before dedicating the dance. Ledger starred opposite Stiles in 10 Things I Hate About You.
The tribute became more than a solo moment. Variety reported that Stiles had a 10 Things I Hate About You reunion during the Ledger tribute, with former castmates from the film appearing around the dance. The headlines do not specify who joined her, apart from the one name flagged as missing.
The night also honored a second member of that world. NBC News reported that Ledger and James Avery were both remembered by former co-stars on the show. The coverage places the two men together in a single act of remembrance, though the headlines alone do not detail how Avery was honored.
The Hollywood Reporter turned to an absence rather than a presence. Its headline asks why David Krumholtz was not part of the 10 Things I Hate About You reunion on the show. The reason is not given in the material available here, and it would be a mistake to guess at one.
The sourcing here is thin. What we have are headlines from Entertainment Weekly, People, Variety, NBC News and The Hollywood Reporter, with no full text, no quoted remarks from Stiles or Williams, and no details of the dance itself, its music, or its scoring. The core claim, that Stiles asked Williams for permission, rests on Entertainment Weekly's reporting.
What to watch for next is fuller accounts of the episode: what Stiles said about the dedication, whether Williams responds publicly, and whether Krumholtz or the show explains his absence.
Notable Quotes
Stiles asked Michelle Williams for permission before dedicating the dance to Heath Ledger (paraphrased headline).— Entertainment Weekly