Julia Stiles opening up on her.”Dancing With The Stars” experience, credits the show with helping her make peace with something she once feared.
Stiles first gained fame at the age of 17, with her breakout role as Kat Stratford in “10 Things I Hate About You”. She then cemented her place in Hollywood with films like “The Prince & Me,” “Save the Last Dance,” and “The Bourne Series.”
The actress’ journey hasn’t been without its ups and downs, with surprising excuses and Stiles setting the record straight about her dancing skills. Along the way, she has faced some feelings about her fame.
Why ‘DWTS’ Is A ‘Really Big Deal’ For Julia Stiles
Last week, the “Dexter” alum and her professional partner Ezra Sosa tangoed to “Door” by Teddy Swims for “Viral Hits Night,” and in the package from the rehearsal week, Stiles gave a glimpse of her connection to the words.
“My personal connection to the lyrics is that I’ve had a funny relationship with being in the public eye,” she admitted.
Stiles admitted she was “drunk” on fame after experiencing so much of it at such a young age. However, he also “scared” her, which made her run in another direction.
Now, with her appearance on the ABC dance competition show, Stiles is returning to her roots. “So I’m getting back my relationship with people who are watching me,” she said.
The actress talked about how private she is, adding that she never followed the attention as expected of her. “So coming on the show is really big for me. Like, I’m a player. I love to play, but it’s taken me a little bit [here]”, Stiles told People Magazine.
According to Stiles, the last point she came to on the dance show was to find the confidence to perform again, which Sosa had really helped to bring her out of her shell.
Julia Stiles received a lot of support from fans for her vulnerability on DWTS
Although the song was personally important to Stiles, the performance won 16 out of 30 and some feedback from judges Bruno Tonioli and Carrie Ann Inaba.
When asked how she felt about the score, Stiles replied, “To be completely honest, I don’t feel good. Despite the difficulty, the contestant was determined to be positive, pointing to her partner Sosa as a great comfort,
“I have the most amazing partner because I had an old cry festival in my trailer, and he was right there with me, so patient and so compassionate,” Stiles said, as reported by The Blast.
The response earned the Hollywood star a lot of praise online, with fans praising her openness and how well she took the criticism. Others called out the judges, saying the performance deserved a much better review.
Julia Stiles received an apology from Juilliard
The encouragement continues to pour in as Juilliard showed support for the actress through a special alumni package.
“Dear Julia, with our apologies for the clerical error, your alumni file was found under the name Sara Johnson,” they said in a note sent to the actress. “We are so proud of you and cheering for you and Ezra.”
The package came in response to fans calling the institute out for comments made saying Stiles was not an alum, according to The Blast.
Andy Cohen made a public apology to Julia Stiles after the DWTS Debate
Andy Cohen also walked back his comments about Stiles, adding another unexpected twist to his interesting journey on the competition show.
In her first episode, Stiles named Cohen as the reason she chose to return to the dance floor after so many years, after saying she wasn’t the greatest dancer in the world.
The Blast reported that after being called out, the Bravo boss had a funny response, making himself the “Jackhole of the Day” on his show and issuing a public apology to the star.
“Julia, I’m so sorry. I’m the last person who should be giving anyone feedback on their dance,” he said before praising her brilliant performance which earned her an 18 out of 30.
Julia Stiles set the record straight on her dancing skills
While Cohen seemed to doubt Stiles’ dancing abilities, others online argued that she had an unfair advantage after her performance on “Save the Last Dance”
Joining the TikTok challenge with Sosa, Stiles dismissed rumors about the extent of her dancing ability.
She admitted that she had no formal dance training before the film, and despite working for the role, she had no dance training after the film aired 25 years ago.
The Blast reported that she surprised fans as she had a stunt double who did many of the more complex scenes in the film.