For anyone who grew up watching Julia Stiles dance across the screen in Save the Last Dance, there was something wonderfully nostalgic about seeing her standing beneath the glittering lights of the Dancing with the Stars ballroom.
Only this time, there was no movie set, no carefully edited final sequence and no character named Sara Johnson to hide behind.
At 45, Stiles was dancing as herself.
The actress made her Season 35 debut alongside professional partner Ezra Sosa during the second night of the two-part premiere on September 16, 2026. ABC had announced their partnership earlier in the month as part of a 16-celebrity cast. (ABC)
And before Stiles had even finished her first routine, the night had taken on an emotional meaning neither she nor Sosa could have anticipated.
Their song was Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5.”
Parton herself had personally approved it for Stiles only weeks before her death. (EW.com)
Dolly Parton Had Personally Said Yes
Season 35 began with a nostalgic concept: the celebrities would perform to No. 1 songs from the years they were born. Because Stiles was born in 1981, “9 to 5” became a natural choice. (People.com)
But using one of Parton’s most recognizable songs required approval.
And Stiles got it.
She revealed that Parton had personally cleared “9 to 5” for her performance just a couple of weeks before the country legend died on August 25 at 80. (People.com)
Suddenly, a song selected because of Stiles’ birth year carried an entirely different weight.
What was supposed to be her introduction to the competition had become an opportunity to honor the woman who had personally allowed her to dance to the song.
Julia and Ezra Changed the Routine After Dolly’s Death
By the time the news of Parton’s death arrived, much of Stiles and Sosa’s choreography had already been created.
They could have performed the routine exactly as planned.
Instead, they went back to it.
Sosa explained that they incorporated additional touches meant to acknowledge Parton, including a reference to the famous nail-tapping rhythm associated with “9 to 5.” Stiles said she wanted the dance to reflect the joy Parton had given people throughout her career. (EW.com)
That gave their quickstep two jobs at once.
It needed to introduce Julia Stiles as a genuine Dancing with the Stars competitor.
And it needed to feel worthy of Dolly.
Then the Music Started
When Stiles and Sosa finally took the floor, the actress seemed to embrace the theatricality of the song immediately.
The quickstep was bright, fast and playful, with choreography that leaned into the workplace world associated with “9 to 5.”
And Stiles had an advantage that had nothing to do with ballroom technique: she knows how to perform a character.
Bruno Tonioli specifically praised the way she blended acting with dancing, while Carrie Ann Inaba described her as “radiant.” (People.com)
The ballroom responded with a standing ovation.
For a woman who had previously been afraid to say yes to the show, it was quite an introduction.
Fans Saw a Potential Mirrorball Pair
The enthusiasm didn’t end inside the studio.
Stiles’ debut quickly drew praise from viewers who loved the energy of the routine, her chemistry with Sosa and the nostalgic thrill of watching the Save the Last Dance actress competing on a dance show more than two decades after the movie that made her a dance-film icon.
Some viewers were already talking about Stiles and Sosa as a pair they wanted to see go deep into the season.
But then came the scores.
Carrie Ann Inaba: 6.
Derek Hough: 6.
Bruno Tonioli: 6.
Total: 18 out of 30. (EW.com)
The judges liked what they saw, but they weren’t ready to treat Stiles as a frontrunner based on one performance.
Their comments praised her presence and theatrical instincts while also pointing toward the technical and energetic improvements she would need as the competition became harder. (People.com)
And Julia Wasn’t Actually the Night’s Top Scorer
That distinction matters because the reaction online was considerably more enthusiastic than the leaderboard suggested.
Stiles’ 18 was a respectable opening score, but she shared that mark with Amber Glenn and finished behind some of the night’s stronger-scoring competitors.
Maura Higgins and Mark Ballas topped the second premiere night with 21 points, while Jenna Dewan and Val Chmerkovskiy earned 19. (EW.com)
So there were really two stories unfolding at once.
The judges saw a promising contestant who still had room to grow.
Some viewers saw the beginning of a partnership they were already eager to follow.
And that difference is exactly what makes Dancing with the Stars interesting: judges’ scores are only part of the equation.
‘Save the Last Dance’ Made the Moment Impossible to Ignore
Of course, Stiles walking onto a ballroom floor was always going to come with baggage — the fun kind.
In 2001, she starred as Sara Johnson in Save the Last Dance, playing an aspiring ballerina whose life and dancing change dramatically after she moves to Chicago.
The movie became one of the defining titles of her career.
A quarter-century later, people still associate Julia Stiles with dance.
But Stiles recently complicated that nostalgic memory with a funny revelation: she has said that a body double performed much of the more demanding dancing in Save the Last Dance. (People.com)
That makes DWTS an entirely different proposition.
There is no body double who can step onto the floor when the choreography becomes difficult.
There is no director yelling cut.
There is no opportunity to stitch the best takes together later.
This time, the dancing really is hers.
She Had Been Saying No to ‘DWTS’ for Years
Perhaps the most revealing part of Stiles’ journey is that this opportunity wasn’t new.
She had been asked before.
And she had turned it down.
Stiles told People that fear had been one of the reasons she repeatedly declined previous invitations. This year, she finally decided to take the chance, essentially approaching it with a “you only live once” mentality. (People.com)
That makes the standing ovation after her first routine feel a little more meaningful.
The audience wasn’t simply watching an actress try ballroom dancing.
They were watching someone finally do the thing she had spent years being nervous enough to avoid.
Then Andy Cohen Became Part of the Story
There was another person Stiles had apparently been thinking about before she walked onto that floor.
Andy Cohen.
During a 2025 SiriusXM conversation, Cohen had criticized Stiles’ dancing ability, saying she was “not the greatest dancer on the planet.” The comment stuck with her. (People.com)
Stiles brought it up during the premiere.
Sosa clearly wasn’t impressed by the criticism, and Derek Hough offered his own colorful response after watching her perform.
The moment turned what might have remained an old celebrity sound bite into part of Stiles’ DWTS storyline.
And Cohen heard about it.
Andy Cohen Apologized That Same Night
Cohen subsequently addressed the situation on Watch What Happens Live.
Rather than doubling down, he admitted he wasn’t exactly in a position to judge someone else’s dancing and apologized to Stiles. He also praised what she had done on Dancing with the Stars. (EW.com)
So Stiles’ first night managed to include an unusual number of storylines.
A long-awaited DWTS debut.
A Dolly Parton tribute.
A standing ovation.
Three sixes from the judges.
And an apology from Andy Cohen.
All before she’d danced a second routine.
Her Partnership With Ezra Could Be the Bigger Story
A celebrity’s technical ability matters on DWTS, but so does the partnership.
And Stiles and Sosa already appear comfortable enough together to joke, tease each other and work through criticism without making the process feel overly serious.
Sosa has praised Stiles’ dedication and the progress he has seen from her in rehearsals. Stiles, meanwhile, has spoken about how much she loves the show and how exciting it feels to finally be part of it. (People.com)
That connection could matter as the routines become more difficult.
The first dance relied heavily on Stiles’ ability to sell a story.
Future dances will require her to show how quickly she can develop the technique underneath that performance quality.
The Julia Stiles Fans Remember Is Still There
For longtime fans, the nostalgia goes even further back than Save the Last Dance.
Before Sara Johnson, there was Kat Stratford.
Stiles became one of the defining young actresses of the late 1990s after starring in 10 Things I Hate About You, and her sharp, guarded performance remains one of the roles most closely associated with her.
That history is part of why her DWTS appearance hits differently from an ordinary celebrity casting.
Viewers aren’t simply discovering a contestant.
Many of them are watching someone they first saw as a teenager and young actress now walk into an entirely new chapter at 45.
The face is familiar.
The challenge isn’t.
The Judges Have Given Her Somewhere to Go
An 18 out of 30 might actually be a useful place to begin.
It was strong enough to establish that Stiles can handle the ballroom, but low enough that there is an obvious path for improvement.
She isn’t beginning the season with the pressure of being the highest-scoring contestant.
Instead, she has room to build.
The premiere showed her theatricality.
Now the judges will likely be looking for sharper technique, more sustained energy and evidence that she can adapt to dances that don’t naturally lend themselves to acting.
That is where the competition becomes interesting.
But Her First Dance Was About More Than Winning
It would have been easy for Stiles’ debut to become nothing more than a nostalgia story.
The Save the Last Dance actress is dancing again.
Cute headline. Easy connection.
Instead, circumstances gave the night an emotional center that had very little to do with Stiles’ own filmography.
Dolly Parton knew about the performance.
She approved the song.
Then she died before Stiles ever got to perform it.
Stiles and Sosa responded by changing parts of their routine to honor her, including a small reference to the acrylic-nail rhythm behind “9 to 5.” (EW.com)
So when the opening notes finally played, Stiles wasn’t merely attempting her first quickstep.
She was dancing to a song whose creator had personally given her permission to use.
Now Comes the Real Test
The premiere answered one question immediately: Julia Stiles belongs in the ballroom.
What it didn’t answer is how far she and Sosa can go.
ABC’s Season 35 cast includes actors, reality personalities, athletes and performers with very different backgrounds, and after the two-night premiere, the competition is already narrowing. (ABC)
Stiles has the audience recognition.
She has the performance instincts.
She appears to have an enthusiastic partnership with Sosa.
And after night one, she certainly has a story people want to follow.
Whether that eventually translates into the Mirrorball is something the performances — and the voters — will decide.
But her first night gave viewers plenty to remember.
She walked into the ballroom after years of being too nervous to say yes.
She danced to Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5.”
She received a standing ovation.
The judges gave her an 18.
Andy Cohen apologized.
And somewhere beneath all of that was the sweetest detail of the evening: only weeks before her death, Dolly Parton knew Julia Stiles wanted to dance to her song — and personally gave her blessing. (EW.com)
For more celebrity news, check out how Barack and Michelle Obama are mourning a heartbreaking loss or see Demi Moore’s dramatic hair transformation and Calista Flockhart’s rare red-carpet appearance.
