Julia Stiles & Ezra Sosa Addressed That “Shady” Post About Her DWTS Casting

Twenty-five years after Save the Last Dance, Julia Stiles is taking the floor once again — and her character’s on-screen alma mater has weighed in.

Fans will remember that in the 2001 film, Stiles plays Sara, a teenager who dreams of attending The Juilliard School and ultimately lands a spot with a successful (if much-memed) audition. But as the conservatory reminded fans in a Sept. 3 Instagram post following news of Stiles’ DWTS casting: “*Checks registrar* No, Julia Stiles did not, in fact, attend Juilliard. But we love her anyway.”

The school went on to say that anyone who wants to see “actual” Juilliard performers can attend the upcoming Juilliard Fall Festival, kicking off on Sept. 16. While the post ended with a note of good luck to Stiles (“We’re cheering you on!”), some commenters felt its tone missed the moment. As for Stiles and her ballroom partner Ezra Sosa?

Chatting with E! at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards on Sept. 6, Stiles said that she heard about the school saying she didn’t go there — which Sosa called “kind of shady, but honestly, really funny.”

For anyone confused about Stiles’ real-life dance background, she further explained, “Not only did I not go to Juilliard, I didn’t even audition for Juilliard. And I couldn’t, even as an actress — forget a dancer.”

Indeed, since being cast, Stiles has made it a point to remind fans she’s not a Juilliard-trained dancer — or a dancer in general. In one TikTok with Sosa, she wrote that “it was mostly a body double” carrying out her moves in Save the Last Dance. And in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, she explained why her role in the film isn’t necessarily a boon for her ballroom odds.

“I think it’s a bit of a disadvantage, to be honest. I stopped taking dance classes after that movie because people expected me to be a great dancer,” she said. “I’m a home dancer. I love dancing at home and part of my reason for coming on this show is to like find the joy and dance again, find my confidence and dance again.”

Playing Sara “was a wonderful opportunity” and gave her “great training,” Stiles clarified, but she left the experience feeling “very, very self-conscious and kind of tense. I want to let that go.”