Julia Stiles overcomes the pain and pressure of the Dancing With the Stars competition.
The “Save the Last Dance” actress broke down in tears during a pre-recorded rehearsal that aired before her performance Tuesday night. In the footage, her professional partner, Ezra Sosa, asked her how she was feeling about the previous week.
“I’m actually really disappointed in myself,” Stiles said of their “Viral Hits Night” tango to Teddy Swims’ “The Door” last week. “It wasn’t my best dance.”
Judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Derek Hough and Bruno Tonioli critiqued the performance and gave the duo two 5s and one 6, for a total score of 16/30.
“It’s all fun and games until you get a 5,” Stiles said in a confessional. “And I respect these judges a lot, so I take what they say seriously. So, yeah, here I am in tears on TV. Sorry!”
While chatting with Sosa, Stiles also talked about how different this experience was for her than acting.
“I’m an actress. I’m used to having a script,” she said. “The director and editor protect you, and your performance is over before people see it. But it’s just me (live). Very vulnerable.”
Sosa responded by saying he was “so proud” of Stiles’ openness and vowed to “keep moving forward together.”
Later, during rehearsal, while Stiles and Sosa practiced their salsa to Hall & Oates’ “I Can’t Go for That (No Can Do)” for “Yacht Rock Night,” the actress revealed that her rib was hurting like hell.
“My rib really hurts and we kind of popped it,” she told the cameras, with visible pain. “It’s a really tough week to injure your ribs because there are lifts and tricks.”
However, the “10 Things I Hate About You” actress vowed to give it her all, saying, “But I also know that I’m a badass, and I’m not going to let that stop me.”
After their final routine, the duo received rave reviews from the judges, with Tonioli saying they “didn’t make any mistakes” and Carrie Ann Inaba applauding Stiles for giving himself “permission to let go.”
“Julia’s back, baby,” Derek Hough added.
The judges gave them two 6s and one 7, for a total score of 19/30.
Stiles told co-host Julianne Hough that she “felt great” after the dance and credited Sosa for “pulling” her out of the “wrestling bus” she was on last week.
The actress also opened up about how she and Sosa have been “quiet” on social media since last week.
Despite the wild and unfounded fan theories that have populated TikTok over the past week — including viewers’ claims that there had been tension between the two or that Stiles had even left the show — the duo explained that they were entirely focused on their ballroom performance this week.
New episodes of “DWTS” air Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and Disney+, and stream on Hulu the next day.
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