Julia Stiles, 45, used her Dancing with the Stars performance on Super Bowl Night to pay tribute to her 2001 film Save the Last Dance, bringing her former co-star Sean Patrick Thomas into the ballroom audience to watch her honor the movie that launched her dance-movie fame. The episode aired Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026, on ABC.
The Main Development
Stiles and her professional partner, Ezra Sosa, performed a hip-hop inspired jazz routine to Jennifer Lopez’s “Jenny from the Block” as their dedication to Save the Last Dance, the film in which Stiles played aspiring ballet dancer Sara Johnson opposite Thomas, 55, who played her on-screen romantic partner. During Stiles’ solo segment, Thomas appeared in the background holding Sosa’s jacket, recreating a moment from the film, according to Page Six.
Thomas spoke about coming out to support his former co-star in a clip shared by ABC. “I was over the moon to be here to watch Julia do her thing tonight on Dancing with the Stars,” he said. “We had a great time doing Save the Last Dance back in the day, and she brought it all the way back here tonight.”
How The Save The Last Dance Dedication Shaped The Performance
The dedication theme pushed Stiles toward a routine built around nostalgia, pairing the choreography with visual callbacks to the film rather than an entirely new concept. Stiles told co-host Julianne Hough in the skybox that she had been wanting to perform like that for 25 years, framing the dance as a long-delayed answer to the movie that defined an earlier chapter of her career. Sosa said Stiles had worked hard to reach that moment, telling cameras he was watching someone live out a dream.
Stiles also described the night as a kind of redemption. “This is my chance for the do-over that I’ve always wanted, so I just have to go out there and own it, I have no other choice,” she said, according to Just Jared.
The performance earned Stiles and Sosa a score of 33 out of 40 from the judges. Carrie Ann Inaba praised Stiles for dancing with confidence and grit, adding, “I know this is the wrong movie, but I think we just got served,” while calling it wonderful to see Stiles dance with more assurance. Derek Hough hugged Stiles and told her the judges had been waiting for that kind of performance, and Bruno Tonioli called it her best dance yet.
Background And Context
Super Bowl Night featured special guest judge Joe Buck alongside the regular panel. The episode also drew attention when Justin Baldoni was spotted in the audience as a guest of Julianne Hough, according to TMZ. Baldoni and Hough have been friends for more than a decade, having worked together on the 2016 documentary series My Last Days.
Stiles’ dedication followed a season that has already drawn strong viewership for ABC, with Season 35’s premiere posting a notable ratings jump, as detailed in Total Apex Entertainment’s coverage of DWTS ratings.
What’s Next
Dancing with the Stars has not announced further details on Stiles and Sosa’s status heading into the next episode.
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