Julia Stiles is officially joining the “Dancing With the Stars” Season 35 cast.
The “Save the Last Dance” actress, 44, will compete for the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy when the new season premieres Sept. 15 on ABC and Disney+. Stiles confirmed her participation after months of fan speculation about whether she would finally take the ballroom floor.
Stiles has been open about her passion for the show for years. In a February 2025 interview with People, she called “Dancing With the Stars” her version of “Monday Night Football” and revealed she had already discussed joining with producers.
“I’ll go down YouTube rabbit holes of watching old videos, and I have my favorite choreographers,” she told the magazine. “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.”
The mother of three has dance experience from her breakout role as Sara Johnson in the 2001 film “Save the Last Dance,” where she played a young woman pursuing ballet dreams at Juilliard while navigating an interracial relationship on Chicago’s South Side. In a 2021 interview with Today, she recalled how much she loved the training process for that film.
“The absolute best thing about making that movie was the dance,” she said. “I mean, the rehearsals, and the dance training. I was, like, sign me up; where do I start?”
She admitted the dance scenes were “really challenging and really daunting” given her lack of prior formal dance experience, but she committed to doing her own dancing rather than using doubles.
Stiles’ casting adds major Hollywood star power to a season already packed with reality TV personalities and sports figures. Previously confirmed competitors include “Summer House” star Ciara Miller, 28, “Love Island” alum Maura Higgins, 34, Savannah Bananas player Jackson Olson, and Jimmy Kimmel’s sidekick Guillermo Rodriguez.
Reports said Thursday that Sarah Jane Nader, sister of former contestant Brooks Nader, is also joining the cast. Brooks competed on Season 33 in 2024 with pro partner Gleb Savchenko, whom she briefly dated. The outlet also reported that “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” alum Tatyana Ali, 46, has signed on.
Reports said Wednesday that “Bachelorette” alum Tyler Cameron, 32, and actress Jenna Dewan, 44, who starred in 2006’s “Step Up” alongside ex-husband Channing Tatum, are set to compete.
In the viral moment that launched her dance credibility, Stiles played aspiring ballerina Sara in “Save the Last Dance,” a role that required intensive training with choreographer Fatima Robinson, whose clients have included Michael Jackson, Prince, and Rihanna. Stiles said in 2021 that director Thomas Carter had cast her after seeing her dance on a table to Biggie Smalls in 1999’s “10 Things I Hate About You.” She spent a month and a half doing four hours of daily dance training for the role, later calling it “the best shape of my life” despite bleeding feet and blisters. The film became a cultural touchstone and grossed over $131 million worldwide.
The full Season 35 cast of celebrities and professional dancers will be announced Sept. 2 on “Good Morning America.” Judges Derek Hough, Carrie Ann Inaba, and Bruno Tonioli are all returning to the panel, with Alfonso Ribeiro and Julianne Hough continuing as co-hosts.