Julia Stiles Admits She Had a Body Double for Most of Her Dancing in ‘Save the Last Dance’

For 25 years, fans assumed Julia Stiles trained her way into ballerina-level grace for 'Save the Last Dance.' Turns out the truth was a little more complicated.

Julia Stiles is coming clean.

While participating in a TikTok trend with her "Dancing with the Stars" partner Ezra Sosa, the 45-year-old actress revealed that she didn’t do most of the dancing in her 2001 film, "Save the Last Dance."

Julia Stiles at the 2nd night of the 78th Emmy Awards on September 6, 2026 | Source: Getty Images

In the film, Stiles portrayed the role of Sara Johnson, an aspiring ballerina who moves to live with her father after the death of her mother.

For the part, Stiles revealed in a 2021 interview with Today, marking the film’s 20th anniversary, that she did undergo training for the role, spending two months preparing before filming and focusing mostly on ballet.

"I had to bust my butt to get in shape," she had said, adding that she wanted to at least look like she could reach the level her character was supposed to be at.

Julia Stiles in a scene from the 2001 film "Save The Last Dance" | Source: Getty Images)

However, Stiles admitted in the TikTok clip with Sosa that it was mostly a body double who danced in her place. She also denied being a trained dancer or going to Juilliard.

On how she landed the part without a dance background, Stiles told Today that director Thomas Carter saw that she had “rhythm” when she danced on a pool table in the film “10 Things I Hate About You.”

Stiles, who hasn’t danced since “Save the Last Dance,” is now preparing for her stint on season 35 of "Dancing with the Stars" after turning down the show for years due to her own fears.

“It's been a secret dream of mine to be here, and I was always just too scared to say yes, until now,” she told Good Morning America during a recent appearance.