New Delhi, Oct. 22 -- LOS ANGELES - Julia Stiles says she checked with Michelle Williams before turning her memories of Heath Ledger into a televised Dancing with the Stars tribute. Williams agreed, Stiles said, but the actress drew a distinction between recounting that conversation and speaking on behalf of Ledger's family.

"I don't really want to speak for them."

Williams, an actress who starred opposite Ledger in Brokeback Mountain, is the mother of their daughter, Matilda. The former couple were together from 2004 until 2007, PEOPLE noted in its report on Stiles' remarks. That personal connection explains whom Stiles said she approached before making the dedication.

The account of Williams' answer comes from Stiles. It is not a sep...