‘Dancing With the Stars’ Couple Explain Their ‘Parent Trap’ Homage

“Dancing With the Stars” couple Alan Bersten and Elaine Hendrix have spoken out about their homage to “The Parent Trap” character Meredith Blake. Hendrix, 54, of course, played Blake in the 1998 adaptation of Erich Kästner’s 1949 German children’s novel — and, much to the surprise of fans of the movie, her opening number alongside Bersten began with a nod to that fact.

The pair’s routine — a cha-cha-cha to Kesha’s “Woman” — on the Tuesday, September 16, episode of “Dancing With the Stars,” opened with a close-up shot of Hendrix wearing a large black hat over her face and slowly lifting her head to look directly into the camera. It was a blatant homage to the moment in “The Parent Trap” when Hendrix’s Blake wore the hat by the pool while being introduced to Lindsay Lohan’s Hallie Parker, the daughter of Dennis Quaid’s character, Nick Parker.

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The couple received a respectable score of 12 out of 20 (6 out of 10 from both Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli), placing them in joint-sixth on the opening week leaderboard.

In an exclusive chat with Us Magazine, Bersten and Hendrix detailed their reasoning for their routine’s homage to Blake.

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Bersten Wanted to Pay Tribute to Hendrix’s ‘Iconic’ Character

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In a gushing endorsement of his partner, Bersten, 31, told Us Magazine he wanted the routine to pay tribute to both Hendrix and her famous character, saying, “Elaine has such an incredible acting career, but Meredith Blake is such an iconic character, we had to pay homage to it. So many kids have grown up with [The] Parent Trap. So many people are watching it now and discovering it now for the first time and realizing how great it is. I really wanted to showcase Elaine as Meredith Blake, but also as Elaine.”

Speaking about Bersten, and referencing the fact that her “The Parent Trap” co-star and real-life best friend Lisa Ann Walter was in the crowd cheering her on for her opening routine, Hendrix told the publication, “Alan is my show security blanket, while Lisa is my life security blanket. She pushed her production to be here. I was like, ‘Girl, don’t ruffle any feathers. If you miss it, it’s fine.’ But no, of course, she made it happen. She’s my ride or die and I love her.”

Hendrix also touched upon the possibility of reprising her role as Blake if such an opportunity was to arise.

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Elaine Hendrix Would ‘Absolutely’ Play Meredith Blake Again

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With “The Parent Trap” fast approaching its 30th anniversary, Hendrix told Us Magazine that “there’s a lot of talk” about some kind of reboot or sequel. While she admits to being in the dark about the finer details, she openly admits that she’d jump at the chance of reprising her role as Blake.

Hendrix said, “It’s above my pay grade. All I know is that we’re all ready. We would all do it, absolutely. I love it. I have the millennials to thank for #justiceformeredithblake.”

For now, however, both Hendrix and Bersten are focused on “Dancing With the Stars” and winning that glittering Mirrorball Trophy — especially considering the fact that the second episode of the show will feature an intimidating double elimination.

The couple will be performing a jive to Toni Basil’s iconic bubblegum pop song, “Hey Mickey” in week two for “One-Hit Wonders Night” — and that’s something everyone should be excited about.