Julia Stiles has found herself at the centre of an amusing Dancing With the Stars mix-up, and the Juilliard School is making sure the record is straight. After fans revisited the actress' connection to the prestigious performing arts school following her DWTS casting, Juilliard decided to clear things up.
The confusion is easy to understand if you remember Stiles' 2001 film Save the Last Dance. Her character, Sara Johnson, is a ballet dancer who dreams of getting into Juilliard. So when Stiles turned up on DWTS, some fans jokingly treated that fictional connection as part of her real-life résumé.
Juilliard Sets Things Straight
Juilliard joined in on the joke with a playful social media post: '*Checks registrar* No, Julia Stiles did not, in fact, attend Juilliard. But we love her anyway.'
The institution ended its message on a supportive note, saying: 'Good luck on DWTS, Julia... we're cheering you on!'
The post sparked plenty of reactions from followers. One commenter jokingly pushed back, writing: 'I specifically heard the judge say "Welcome to Juilliard" so I think your records are wrong.' Another fan added the school could have leaned even further into the joke, suggesting: 'We love supporting our alumni, cheering you on Julia! Would have landed better.'
Others took the confusion more seriously, thanking the institution for defending the actress. 'So it's nice they're trying to redirect the uproar from few remaining people who are confused,' the comment read.
Julia Stiles Makes Her DWTS Debut
Stiles is competing on Season 35 of Dancing With the Stars with professional partner Ezra Sosa, bringing her dance experience from the big screen to the ballroom.
The actress made her ballroom debut during the show's two-night premiere, taking on the quickstep with Sosa. Their routine was performed to Dolly Parton's '9 to 5', giving viewers their first look at Stiles as a real-life dance-floor contestant.
The Juilliard jokes followed her into the competition because of the long-running association between Stiles and Save the Last Dance. Her casting prompted fans to revisit the 2001 film, with some joking that her iconic dance role had finally prepared her for the DWTS ballroom.
People's reaction online has been a mix of nostalgia and humour. 'I'm afraid that there will be riots in the streets if she doesn't do the f*ck ass hop like we all want,' one fan said, referring to a part of her infamous dance in the film.
Film Behind the Joke
In Save the Last Dance, Stiles plays Sara Johnson, a young ballet dancer whose life changes after the death of her mother. She moves to Chicago to live with her father and starts at a new school, where she meets Derek, played by Sean Patrick Thomas.
Sara hopes to pursue dance and dreams of auditioning for Juilliard. Her journey also sees her expand beyond classical ballet, with Derek introducing her to hip-hop and helping her develop a different side of her dancing.
The film became a notable dance title of the early 2000s, and Stiles' role remains one of the reasons fans still associate her with ballet and Juilliard. More than two decades later, that fictional connection has followed Stiles into an entirely different dance competition.
