Sean Patrick Thomas and Julia Stiles played high school students who bond through dance and fall in love in “Save the Last Dance.” The characters practiced dancing then showed their moves off in the club. The movie ends with Sara’s audition for Juilliard.
Sara’s dance scenes are often discussed. But Thomas, 55, said he was insecure because he didn’t have a dance background. He also reacted to the news that Stiles, 45, is competing on “Dancing with the Stars.”
Julia Stiles and Sean Patrick Thomas Supported Each Other During ‘Save the Last Dance’
GettyActors need to trust each other to portray a love story. “Save the Last Dance” has another layer because Derek (Thomas) teaches Sara (Stiles) how to dance to fit in with her new public school, reigniting the ballet dancer’s hope. Many have joked about Stiles’ dance scenes, but Thomas wasn’t a dancer either.
Thomas appeared on the “On That Note” podcast in April and discussed making the movie. He revealed that some people made it clear he wasn’t their first choice for the role and felt a lot of pressure.
“I’m not a dancer at all,” he said. “I’m not a dancer, I’m not a singer, I’m just an actor.” The “Gen V” actor wasn’t confident. “And I’ll be honest, I did not feel like I was gonna get away with it to, be honest with you,” he later said. Thomas joked that he was from Delaware.
He was scared of screwing up that part of the story. “And we rehearsed every single day, even days when I was shooting,” the “Till” actor explained. But he said his costar was a great source of support.
“Working with Julia was phenomenal,” Thomas continued. “Really, she was my salvation in all of that because both of us could look each other in the eye and know, ‘OK, this moment is ours. And we can block out all the noise. We can block out all the [expletive] and let’s just do some good work.'”
Julia Stiles Addresses ‘Save the Last Dance’ Critics on ‘Dancing with the Stars’
The second night of the “Dancing with the Stars” season 35’s premiere showed Stiles and Ezra Sosa talking about her performance in the movie. The actress said Andy Cohen’s comment about her was “imprinted” in her mind.
“Can we all just agree that Julia Stiles is not the greatest dancer on the planet?” the “Watch What Happens Live! host said on Radio Andy as he talked to Kerry Washington. Washington played Sara’s friend, Chenille.
She defended the movie’s choreographer, Fatima Robinson. Cohen apologized for the comment on his talk show. Stiles also referenced the movie in her first performance and the judges were impressed. Washington and Thomas recorded video messages for Stiles to support her “Dancing with the Stars” journey on “Good Morning America.”
“I have known since our days on set for ‘Save the Last Dance’ that you truly know your way around the dance floor, but now the whole world gets to see you in action,” Washington said. “Honestly, the competition better watch out, because I know that you have some slammin’ moves up your sleeves.”
Her former costar also had confidence in Stiles. “Julia, congratulations … I had a front-row seat the last time you undertook a similar challenge in ‘Save the Last Dance,’ and from what I remember, you got into Juilliard, so I know you’re gonna kill it,” he said.
