It seems Julia Stiles and Ezra Sosa won’t be taking their final bow at Juilliard after all.
Following news that the actress has been teamed with the professional dancer for Dancing With the Stars season 35, fans wasted no time revisiting clips from her iconic 2001 film Save the Last Dance. In the movie, Stiles played Sara Johnson, a teenage ballerina with dreams of earning a spot at The Juilliard School.
But as the throwback dance moments made the rounds online, Juilliard stepped in with a quick reality check: Stiles was never actually a student there.
“*Checks registrar* No, Julia Stiles did not, in fact, attend Juilliard. But we love her anyway,” the school wrote on Instagram Sept. 3. “You can see ~actual~ Juilliard dancers (and musicians and actors) on Opening Night of the Juilliard Fall Festival Sept 16.”
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Juilliard did soften the playful clarification with a supportive note, adding, “P.S. Good luck on DWTS, Julia… we’re cheering you on.” Still, Stiles and Sosa didn’t appear entirely moved by the shoutout.
“I heard about it, because I think that Juilliard actually posted saying, ‘For the record, she did not go to our school,'” Stiles exclusively told E! News at the 2026 Creative Arts Emmy Awards on Sept. 6, with Sosa adding, “which was kind of shady, but honestly, really funny.”