Julia Stiles may have just danced her way into an apology from Juilliard School following her “Dancing with the Stars” debut.
“Save the Last Dance” is one of the 45-year-old’s most notable films, in which she plays Sara Johnson, a talented young ballerina whose primary life ambition is to get accepted into Juilliard.
However, Stiles’s appearance on the show was met with different reactions online, centering on the actress’s skills, including a reaction from the prestigious school.
After the institution was called out for a previous post, Juilliard took a hilarious turn in the best way possible.
They sent Stiles and her professional partner, Ezra Sosa, alumni gear and a lovely message, which the actress shared on Instagram.
“Dear Julia, with our apologies for the clerical error, your alumni file was found under the name Sara Johnson,” the note read. “We are so proud of you and cheering you and Ezra on.”
The message also had a playful nod to her memorable role: “Remember, “Dancing with the Stars” ain’t no square dance, but we know you’ll dance circles, probably, around everyone else.”
Stiles happily showed off the alumni gear, gushing over how cute the gesture was. “They know I love a crop top,” she said, holding up a shirt, a nod to her iconic 90’s style.
The school reiterated they meant no shade at the actress in their previous post. Stiles also clarified, “Never went to Juilliard; it’s a fictional character, Sara Johnson.”
Juilliard Showed Support For Julia Stiles Ahead Of ‘DWTS’ Premiere
This move comes in response to a post shared by Juilliard featuring the actress in a blue dress with the caption, “Checks registrar* No, Julia Stiles did not, in fact, attend Juilliard. But we love her anyway.”
They then went on to promote their upcoming fall festival before wishing Stiles good luck on “Dancing with the Stars,” writing, “We’re cheering you on!”
The Blast reported that while Stiles expressed gratitude in the post comment section, some fans lightheartedly called the school out. “But did you check her alter ego Sara Johnson? We have video proof she unofficially got in.”
“She definitely got into Juilliard…,” another fan joked. “Just can’t say it on record,” with yet another commenting, “Now Juilliard is LYING wooowowwww. We all saw her dance to get in, bestie.”
Julia Stiles Joined A TikTok Trend To Dispel Dancing Rumors
Stiles’ character might be a professionally trained ballerina who studied at Juilliard, but the actress herself is far from that. Joining a TikTok Yep/Nope challenge with Sosa, Stiles had a few things to say about viral misinformation.
In the video, she revealed that while she got some training for the movie, she had no prior training and has not had any other training since the film’s release in 2001, per The Blast.
Another shocking revelation was that the actress had a body double for a lot of the more challenging scenes in the movie, letting fans know that her moves were not as top-notch as they might have previously thought.
Julia Stiles Stuck It To Rival Andy Cohen With Dazzling ‘DWTS’ Performance
However, if her latest performance is anything to go by, the “10 Things I Hate About You” actress might be too humble about the extent of her skills.
During the premiere, Stiles and Sosa performed an outstanding quickstep, scoring 18 out of 30 and placing on the leaderboard in the competition.
“Andy Cohen, you can eat it,” judge Derek Hough declared after they were done, referring to the TV host’s previous comments on Stiles, saying she was not the greatest dancer on the planet.
The Blast reported that in her intro package, the actress said the quote was ingrained in her head and was stated as one of the reasons she chose to return to the ballroom floor.
Julia Stiles Said Dolly Parton Approved ‘DWTS’ Song
Stiles and Sosa’s quickstep was done to Dolly Parton’s song, “9 to 5,” and the actress confirmed Parton gave her permission to use it just before her passing, according to USA Today.
“It was only a couple weeks before Dolly passed that she approved this song specifically for me,” Stiles revealed during the intro package.
“I’m so honored to be dancing to her music and honoring her legacy, and I want to make her proud,” she concluded.
