Julia Stiles and Sean Patrick Thomas Weigh a Return to Save the Last Dance
Julia Stiles performed a jazz routine on Dancing With the Stars that paid tribute to Save the Last Dance, with former costar Sean Patrick Thomas watching from the audience. In past interviews, both actors have floated ideas for a sequel, including Stiles imagining her character as a dance teacher. Thomas said he would be open to considering a strong concept, though neither has confirmed a follow-up.
On the Oct. 13 Dancing With the Stars episode, Stiles and partner Ezra Sosa performed a jazz routine honoring Save the Last Dance, the 2001 teen film. Thomas watched from the ballroom and repeated the encouraging pose from the film’s audition scene. Stiles said she had waited 25 years to perform it.
In a 2021 interview, Stiles imagined a sequel with Sara as a dance teacher, likening the role to Debbie Allen’s Fame character. Thomas said he could not easily picture a believable continuation, calling marriage too simple, but would consider a strong idea. Both have several current projects.
This reunion may resonate with millennials who grew up with the film, sparking nostalgia and renewed streaming interest. A sequel, if pursued, could affect fans, the cast, and the dance-film genre, while also drawing attention to Stiles’s and Thomas’s newer projects. Because no follow-up is confirmed, its impact may remain a cultural conversation rather than an industry certainty.