Julia Stiles and Ezra Sosa call out Juilliard’s ‘shady’ post about her

Julia Stiles and Ezra Sosa react to Juilliard clarifying that the DWTS star never attended the prestigious school

Julia Stiles and her Dancing With the Stars partner Ezra Sosa have reacted to a social media post from The Juilliard School clarifying that the actress never attended the prestigious performing arts institution.

The exchange came after Stiles was announced as a contestant on Dancing With the Stars season 35. Fans revisited her role in the 2001 film Save the Last Dance, in which she played Sara Johnson, a ballerina who dreams of being accepted into Juilliard.

Juilliard addressed the confusion in an Instagram post on Sept. 3, writing that Stiles did not attend the school while also wishing her luck on Dancing With the Stars. The post prompted Stiles and Sosa to share their reactions.

“I heard about it,” Stiles told E! News at the 2026 Creative Arts Emmy Awards on Sept. 6. Sosa described the post as “kind of shady” but said it was also “really funny.”

Stiles clarified that Juilliard was part of her character’s storyline and not her real-life education. She said she did not attend the school or even audition for it. Instead, Stiles graduated from Columbia University.

The actress also explained that her dance experience in Save the Last Dance does not give her much of an advantage on DWTS. She said she stopped taking dance classes after making the film and described herself as someone who has rhythm but lacks formal dance training.

Stiles and Sosa have already chosen the team name “So Stilez” and plan to get matching tattoos during the season. Sosa praised Stiles’ work ethic and said he was excited to see her progress.

Dancing With the Stars season 35 premieres Sept. 14 on ABC.