Julia Stiles is clearing up one of the biggest misconceptions surrounding her role in Save the Last Dance. According to PEOPLE, the actress revealed in a TikTok video with her Dancing with the Stars Season 35 professional partner, Ezra Sosa, that she did not perform all of the movie’s dance routines herself.
Stiles also shut down a long-standing rumor that she attended the Juilliard School, explaining that fans have often confused her real life with the fictional character she portrayed in the film.
Body Double Performed the Most Complex Dance Sequences
During the TikTok trend, Stiles and Sosa explained that while she trained for the role, a body double handled the film’s more technically demanding dance sequences.
The actress also shared that she has not seriously danced since filming Save the Last Dance, making her upcoming appearance on Dancing with the Stars a new challenge.
Stiles said she is looking forward to stepping back onto the dance floor for the competition series.
Director First Noticed Her Dancing in Another Film
Stiles previously spoke about landing the lead role during a 2021 interview with Today.
She recalled that Save the Last Dance director Thomas Carter noticed her dancing in the party scene from 10 Things I Hate About You.
“He saw that, and he was like, ‘Oh, you have rhythm,’ ” Stiles said.
More than two decades after Save the Last Dance premiered, the actress is embracing another opportunity to dance, this time in front of a live television audience on Dancing with the Stars.