Dancing With the Stars Season 35 is coming soon to the 2026 TV schedule, and the cast is making waves. Beloved actress Julia Stiles will be competing in the ballroom with pro partner Ezra Sosa, and the two are already becoming favorites with fans. It’s not all positive popularity, though, as Juilliard shaded the actress for one little thing, and now she’s setting the record straight.
When it comes to DWTS, fans are divided in terms of whether celebrities with dance experience should be allowed to compete. Following the cast announcement last week, some people were pointing out that Stiles went to the prestigious Juilliard School for dance. However, what a lot of people haven’t been getting is that it was merely a reference to her classic 2001 film Save the Last Dance. In fact, Juilliard even confirmed that Stiles did not actually attend the performing arts conservatory on Instagram.
Stiles herself is setting the record straight now. She and Sosa spoke to E! News about people thinking that she actually went to Juilliard. They mentioned that Juilliard commented, with Sosa admitting it was a bit shady. Stiles confirmed that she did not attend the prestigeous university. And what makes the whole situation even better is that the school wasn’t even really on her mind back then:
Not only did I not go to Juilliard, but I didn’t even audition for Juilliard. And I couldn’t even as an actress, forget a dancer.
I’m sure it’s both amusing and annoying for Stiles to have people so divided on this topic when it all stems from a movie she did 25 years ago. Of course, her dance moves have been a topic before, and it’s not just people truly thinking she went to Juilliard. The Internet has been shading Stiles’ dance moves from Save the Last Dance, but luckily her co-star Kerry Washington came to her defense last year. The Scandal star also praised the film’s choreographer Fatima Robinson, who has worked with high-profile artists such as Michael Jackson, Aaliyah, and the Backstreet Boys.
Even though Stiles doesn’t have actual Juilliard training, it wouldn’t be surprising if she managed to make it far in the competition. She and Sosa are already capturing fans’ hearts with their TikToks, and I cannot wait to see what they have cooking up this season. I also wouldn’t be surprised if one or two of their dances were to take from Stiles’ Save the Last Dance character, Sara Johnson.
Fans will just have to see how the two do when DWTS returns. The Season 35 premiere of Dancing With the Stars airs on Tuesday, September 15, and Wednesday, September 16, at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and with a Disney+ subscription. The competition is as stiff as ever this season, and there is no telling who will be taking home the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy.
