Julia Stiles recreates 'Save the Last Dance' moment on 'Dancing with the Stars'
The internet is buzzing over Julia Stiles' "Save the Last Dance"-inspired performance on "Dancing with the Stars."
On Tuesday night, Stiles hit the ballroom for "Super Bowl Night" with her pro-dance partner Ezra Sosa and performed a jazz number to "Jenny From the Block."
The dance routine included nods to Stiles' iconic and infamous dance number from the 2001 film. Like the movie, Stiles and Sosa featured a chair routine sequence, ballet elements and hip-hop.
Stiles also recreated the "Save the Last Dance" scene with a special solo moment and a special guest. At one point during her routine, Stiles' former co-star Sean Patrick Thomas appears behind Sosa. Like in the movie, where he's watching Stiles audition for Juilliard, he's seen holding his jacket over his shoulder and nodding his head to the music.
The dance earned Stiles and Sosa a score of 33 out of 40 from judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli, Derek Hough, and guest judge Joe Buck.
"I've been wanting to do that for 25 years!" Stiles told Julianne Hough after her performance.
After the show, she told ABC's On The Red Carpet, "I look back at that movie, and I wanted to give it a refresher, and I'm like a different person now. I'm a grown woman, and I feel better in my body and in my skin, and I wanted -- I just wanted to be better."
Thomas also praised Stiles in a video shared by "Dancing with the Stars" on its official Instagram page. He said, "I am just over the moon to be here to watch Julia do her thing tonight."
"We had a great time doing 'Save the Last Dance' back in the day, and she brought it all the way back here tonight," he added.
"Save the Last Dance" follows Stiles' character, Sara Johnson, an aspiring ballerina, who moves to Chicago to live with her father following her mother's death. There, she meets Derek (Thomas), who introduces her to hip-hop dancing. As the two develop a romance, Sara rediscovers her passion for dance while navigating cultural differences and pursuing her dreams.
The film also starred Kerry Washington, Fredro Starr, Terry Kinney, Bianca Lawson and more.
See how Super Bowl Night on "Dancing with the Stars" unfolded and who was eliminated here.
The Walt Disney Co. is the parent company of ABC News, Disney+ and Hulu.
