Julia Stiles is looking back at “Save The Last Dance” 20 years later.
The 39-year-old star, who played Sara in the 2001 film, recently spoke with “Today” about her epic turn in “Save The Last Dance,” which turns 20 this month, and revealed her favorite part about being in the movie was the dancing.
“The absolute best thing about making that movie was the dance. I mean, the rehearsals, and the dance training. I was, like, sign me up; where do I start?,” she told the outlet.
The “10 Things I Hate About You” star also shared how she had to undergo rigorous training because she didn’t have a dance background, and her character was a skilled dancer.
“There was a lot of playing catch-up. But it was so fun. And such an awesome opportunity to get to do that kind of, like, rigorous training, and choreography rehearsals. I had to bust my butt to get in shape. And also, you know, catch up to the level that Sara — or, at least, look like I could catch up to — I could be at the level that Sara was supposed to be at,” she said.
Stiles, who played Sara opposite co-stars Sean Patrick Thomas and Kerry Washington, also recently reflected on the close bond she shared with her cast members.
The “Riviera” star posted about the film’s milestone on Instagram earlier in the month, sharing a photo with her co-stars and sharing about how it changed her life.
“Holy smokes. 20 years ago. This movie changed my life. I had no idea people would still be talking about it, but that is what you hope for as a performer. We snuck some pretty big things into that teen dance movie! (Chenille was schooling Sarah on ‘White Privilege’ before we even had a term for it) But, um… can I please have a do-over on my braids? Cool,” the caption reads.
Sean Patrick Thomas, who played Julia’s on-screen love interest Derek, also posted about the the big anniversary.
“Save The Last Dance premiered 20 years ago and we shocked the world, including myself. Never imagined the film would be as beloved as it is. Thank you @missjuliastiles for being an incredible partner…to @fatima_noir & @rtbrothas & @punchcity1 for pushing me..to my castmates @kerrywashington, @fredro_starr, #VinceGreen, what fun…my man #JeffRoda✊🏿Very proud today. We did good…#SaveTheLastDance,” he wrote.
— Stephanie Swaim