Julia Stiles says she’s interested in competing on “Dancing with the Stars” – but there’s one very big condition.
In a February 2025 interview with People magazine, the “Save the Last Dance” actress said she is a DWTS superfan, but would need to work around her life in New York City, where she lives with her husband Preston Cook, and their three young children.
“[‘Dancing with the Stars’] is my Monday Night Football,” Stiles, 43, told the outlet. “I’ll go down YouTube rabbit holes of watching old videos, and I have my favorite choreographers. We’ve talked about me doing it, but I live in New York City, so it would be hard. Maybe they could do an East Coast version.”
In 2001, Stiles starred in the dance film “Save the Last Dance.” She played Sara, a ballet dancer who trained for a Juilliard School dance audition, in the cult classic movie.
In an interview with Today, Stiles said she loved learning the dance moves for the film. “The absolute best thing about making that movie was the dance,” she said in 2021. “I mean, the rehearsals, and the dance training. I was, like, sign me up; where do I start?”
She admitted that the dance scenes were “really challenging and really daunting” given her lack of prior dance experience.
Fans Reacted to Julia Stiles’ Suggestion of an East Coast DWTS
GettyOn social media, fans thought Stiles would make a great addition to the “Dancing With the Stars” celebrity cast.
In a Reddit thread, fans said DWTS producers should do what it takes if Stiles has expressed interest in joining the ABC dance-off. “Julia has been a fan and wanting to do the show. Showrunners make it happen!” one fan wrote.
Others noted that Stiles is directing a movie, “Wish You Were Here,” that stars DWTS season 11 champion Jennifer Grey.
In a post on X, DWTS Gossip addressed Stiles’ suggestion to move the celebrity ballroom show to the Big Apple. “Do you think there’s enough money and stars to justify… LIVE FROM NEW YORK, THIS IS DANCING WITH THE STARS,” the post on the fan site asked.
“Might entice a couple of true Broadway ringers who might be in-between roles to give it a whirl,” one fan replied.
“That’s really a category dwts should explore,” another agreed.
“Would be interesting to have competing shows or to somehow have a west vs east cost competition,” another fan chimed in.
Other Stars Have Done DWTS ‘Bicoastal’
ABCPlenty of wannabe mirrorball champions have done “Dancing with the Stars” while living on the East Coast.
In 2022, newly married “Real Housewives of New Jersey” star Teresa Giudice only agreed to do the show if she could rehearse near her home in New Jersey.
According to TMZ, producers sprang into action to coordinate her rehearsals with pro partner Pasha Pashkov, in New Jersey so she could be near her husband Luis Ruelas and their six children. Giudice flew into Los Angeles a day or so before each live show, her lawyer James Leonard told the outlet. Leonard said the rehearsal location was a “dealbreaker” for Giudice.
In 2015, pro dancer Derek Hough had to be in New York to perform in the Rockettes “Spring Spectacular” at Radio City, while his DWTS partner Nastia Liukin was a student at New York University at the same time. The duo did many of their rehearsals in New York and flew to California for show nights.
“I’m doing 10 shows of the New York Spring Spectacular during the week, and Sunday I finish a few shows,” Hough told ABC 7 at the time. “I get on a red eye to L.A. I go straight to the studio to film ‘Dancing with the Stars,’ and then I finish, do press, and then I go straight to the airport. And then I fly back to New York and arrive Tuesday morning.”
