Gabrielle Union Opens Up About ‘Emotional’ “10 Things I Hate About You” Reunion After “DWTS” Heath Ledger Tribute
Gabrielle Union Opens Up About ‘Emotional’ “10 Things I Hate About You” Reunion After “DWTS” Heath Ledger Tribute
Virginia ChamleeWed, October 21, 2026 at 6:37 PM UTC
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Gabrielle Union in 10 Things I Hate About You and nowCredit: Everett; John Lamparski/Getty -
Julia Stiles honored late costar Heath Ledger during Dedication Night with a performance to “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You”
Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Andrew Keegan, Susan May Pratt and Larisa Oleynik also joined the reunion
Stiles placed a rose by a photo of herself and Ledger before reuniting with her former castmates
Gabrielle Union says that reuniting with the cast of 10 Things I Hate About You on Dancing with the Stars was “so emotional.”
Union, 53, was among the cast members of the 1999 film to attend the Tuesday, Oct. 20, episode of Dancing with the Stars in support of cast member Julia Stiles.
Stiles, 45, honored her late costar Heath Ledger — who died in 2008 from an accidental prescription drug overdose at 28 — with a Dedication Night performance to Frankie Valli’s “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You.”
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Gabrielle Union, Larisa Oleynik, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Julia tiles, Andrew Keegan, Susan May prattCredit: Disney/Ser Baffo
The routine ended with Stiles walking toward a photo of her and Ledger from the film, placing a rose on the stairs and walking backward to meet her castmates from the movie: Union, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Andrew Keegan, Susan May Pratt and Larisa Oleynik.
Gabrielle Union Instagram StoryCredit: Gabrielle Union/Instagram
In a Story shared to Instagram, Union wrote of the moment, “Tonight was so emotional and it meant a lot that we could be together.”
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In the film, Union played Chastity Church, the social-climbing friend of Bianca Stratford (played by Oleynik).
Speaking to PEOPLE ahead of her performance, Stiles said of rehearsals, “I’m actually surprised at how emotional it’s been.”
“I know from watching the show how emotional Dedication Night is. It’s always very personal stories. But I thought, ‘Oh, I’m distanced enough from it. The movie was so many years ago,’ ” she said at the InStyle Imagemaker Awards held on Thursday, Oct. 15. “But something about watching clips from that movie, seeing our pictures, hearing our voices is bringing up a lot.”
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The film, a modern retelling of Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew, helped launch the careers of the young actors involved. A new musical adaptation of the beloved teen romcom will begin Broadway performances on Aug. 17, 2027.
The stage adaptation comes from a starry creative team that includes Girls creator Lena Dunham and pop star Carly Rae Jepsen.
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Source: “AOL Entertainment”
