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Juilliard Apologizes to Julia Stiles Over Dancing With the Stars Shade
Julia Stiles is officially a Juilliard graduate—well, sort of.
After the Dancing With the Stars contestant called out the school's statement that she never was a student there—despite playing one in 2001's Save the Last Dance—during an exclusive E! interview, the prestigious conservatory followed up with a hilarious change of heart.
"Dear Julia, with our apologies for the clerical error, your alumni file was found under the name Sarah Johnson," Stiles read from Juilliard's note to her and pro Ezra Sosa in a Sept. 17 TikTok video. "We are so proud of you and cheering you and Ezra on."
And the school—which first posted ahead of the DWTS season 35 premiere, "No, Julia Stiles did not, in fact, attend Juilliard"—couldn't help but call back to her and costar Sean Patrick Thomas' memorable exchange in the film when welcoming Stiles into the family.
"Remember, Dancing With the Stars ain't no square dance," she continued narrating their message, "but we know you'll dance circles, probably, around everyone else."
Aside from the cheeky letter, Stiles' "fans here at Juilliard" also sent her and Sosa official alumni gear, a move she gushed was "so sweet." Indeed, the actress may have been most excited about receiving an alumni T-shirt, referencing her signature '90s style when she said, "They know I love a crop top."
The dance academy also noted that there was "no shade intended" when it came to their original Sept. 3 post about Stiles' status as a classically trained ballerina who learned hip-hop, as they clarified it was her Save the Last Dance character and not the actress who enrolled there.
LISA O'CONNOR / AFP via Getty Images
As such, it's no surprise the Bourne trilogy actress was quick to confirm before signing off, "Never went to Juilliard, it's a fictional character, Sarah Johnson."
Though Stiles acing her Juilliard audition was a storyline, she has a real shot at taking home the Mirrorball Trophy this year. Keep reading to check out her competition on DWTS.
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The Love Island UK alum is hoping her love for DWTS doesn't betray her as she manifested this experience.
"I have a vision board and I redo it every year," she told E! News in May. "This year is the first year that I stayed at home by myself on New Year's Eve. I did not go out at all. I made myself a bowl of pasta and a glass of red wine and I redid my vision board for the year. Dancing With the Stars was already on it from the year before. However, I added five more Dancing With the Stars on the board."
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