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'Save the Last Dance' star Julia Stiles Is finally dancing for REAL | OMG Obsessed

35m 26s

'Save the Last Dance' star Julia Stiles Is finally dancing for REAL | OMG Obsessed

Julia Stiles, a longtime fan of *Dancing with the Stars*, recently joined the show after years of emotional and practical hesitation. Her journey reflects a blend of deep personal passion, self-overcoming, and fandom rooted in childhood memories of dance films. She shares how her fear of self-consciousness and family responsibilities initially kept her from participating, but a renewed confidence led her to take on the challenge. The experience is filled with humorous anecdotes, including a symbolic bedazzled rooster gift from her partner referencing a line from *Nine to Five*, and a viral internet moment when fans mistakenly believed she attended Juilliard. Despite the show’s high-pressure environment, she finds joy in the process—highlighting the physical and emotional growth she experiences in dance. She values the weekly rituals, the camaraderie, and the sense of belonging, and is committed to continuing dance as both a physical skill and a personal passion. Her story blends obsession, humor, and heartfelt reflection, showing how a lifelong love for dance can transform into a real-life pursuit. The episode celebrates not just the show’s spectacle, but the human connection, small rituals, and emotional journeys behind it.

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[MUSIC] You come to the New Yorker Radio Hour for conversations that go deeper. With people you really want to hear from, whether it's Bruce Springsteen or Quest Love or Olivia Rodrigo, Liz Cheney, or the Godfather of Artificial Intelligence, Jeffrey Hinton. Or some of my extraordinarily well-informed colleagues at the New Yorker. So join us every week on the New Yorker Radio Hour, wherever you listen to podcasts. On all of it with me, Alison Stewart, we'll talk about art, music, theater, literature, history, food, well, all of it. Here in-depth, insightful interviews with authors like Zadie Smith, musicians like Steve Earl, actors like Kate Winslet and Beyond. You never know who you'll hear next on all of it, but it's always worth listening. That's all of it, available wherever you get your podcasts. >> It was announced that I was going on dancing with the stars. A bunch of people responded as fans of Save the Last Dance going, well, wait, that's unfair. She has an advantage because she went to Juilliard, because in the movie, my fictional character auditioned for Juilliard and got in at the end. Now I thought it was a joke. I thought there's no way that people can think I am actually that person that went to Juilliard. But anyway, it started this whole thing where then Juilliard the school posted all things saying, yeah, we checked our registrar and she didn't actually go here. >> Hello, obsessives. Everyone's in a while we meet someone whose obsession makes me question whether the rest of us are even trying. Today's guest is no exception. She has been devoted to dancing with the stars for more than a decade. She watches the reruns, she knows the stats, and now in a truly unhinged manifestation of fandom, she is actually on the show. We recorded this right after she filmed the premiere, which means she came to us, fresh off the dance floor and living out her middle school fantasy. We talk sequins, superstitions, and somehow a bedazzled rooster makes a cameo. Welcome to OMG Obsessed. I'm Sasha Mammott, and from "Saved the Last Dance" to getting her shot at the mirror ball, this is Juilliard Styles. OMG Obsessed. Hi, what's up, dude? >> What's up? Hi, it's so good to talk to you. We have to take a picture for Matt Flanders. >> We, I know. It's so funny. He literally texted me yesterday. And I was like, what are the odds? Like the universe is listening or something like that. >> Yeah, yeah. I like to start the show with something I'm obsessed with about my guest. And I found out that you were doing dancing with the stars, which I am genuinely obsessed with. Not the show because I've never seen the show. I'm obsessed with the fact that you were doing it. >> Holy moly. Yeah. We had the premiere night, I can't even keep track of the days. Friday, we had the premiere night on Wednesday. There was a two night premiere. The men competed first and then the women competed the second night. So my first dance was on Wednesday. And we've been rehearsing for a couple weeks. I decided to go on it because I actually deeply love the show and have watched it for years like probably over a decade. It's like, it is no joke like my Monday night football, my Tuesday night football. I am a devoted fan. And I watch reruns, I think it scares my partner a little bit how much obsessed with the show I am and how much I know about it. And I've always kind of thought about going on it, but was like, no way. And they had asked me in previous, the past couple of years. And I was always like, oh my god, I really love the show, but I just can't do it. For family reasons and logistical reasons, but also I was like, it's too scary, no way. And then this past year they approached me again. Thank God. And I was like, I'm scared I might say yes. That's incredible. So like, what do you feel like change, like what do you feel like about it before scared you to a point that you were like, I can't? And then this time round you were like, I'm still, I mean, I'm assuming you're still afraid, but you were like, I want to face that fear. Yes. I want to face that fear in front of millions of people. Jesus Christ. Yeah. Yeah. It was, I don't know. I think it was a combination of like, a lot of it was practical. I have three little boys. My youngest is about to turn three. So like, you know, I had an infant baby. There's no way I'm going to go on a dance competition show. And then even when he's like a year old, I was, I was also, I ended up directing a movie when he was almost, he was a baby. So that was, that like, I occupied a lot of time, obviously. So it was like, it wasn't the right timing. And then also in terms of my own fear and, you know, all the things, all the hurdles that I need to overcome to do this, it just felt like this past year, I was like, oh, actually, maybe I could handle it. And maybe it is something. And I don't know. It's just like long story short, you know, I 25 years ago did this dance movie where I was just an actress pretending to be a dancer, like, oh, sorry, that's my dryer beeping. Oh, my God, I'm so jealous. Sorry. We don't wash our tires in Wales. We have combos. There's no such thing as a dryer. So the idea of putting clothes in a dryer is like, sounds anyways. What is a combo? Wait, because also if it's cold and rainy, how does anything ever dry? You can't air dry. It really, it really doesn't, it really doesn't, everything is basically like some degree of damp and like slightly moldy smelling at all times. Oh, dear. A combo is supposedly a machine that washes and then dries, but it really just doesn't, it just doesn't. It washes and then it kind of like makes things hot and damp. Yeah, it just kind of fluffs the clothes, but then nothing actually dries, that's unfortunate. I feel like maybe somebody needs to get into the Welsh dryer business or the import export of dryers to Wales. I agree. I do agree. That sounds lucrative to me. Yeah, it's a void in the market, for sure. So is that when you, were you not a dancer before that? I mean, like a home dancer. I mean, I love to, yeah, I went to, I, as a kid and a, yeah, as a kid and like a preteen, I went to this dance class in New York that a teacher named Ellen Robbins taught kids, but it was very Lucy Goosey, it was, she would do this sort of formal, modern, modern technique. But then the last half hour of the class, she would let us improvise. She put on a record and it was like literally records and we would, we were able to improvise and I'm sure it looked crazy, but it was, it was wonderful and so, yes, I love to dance and I have rhythm, but I never was really formally trained. Anyway, I did this dance movie, people were excited about it and then I just stopped taking dance classes because I was way too self-conscious about people looking at me. And so, so, anyway, but I like, I've always had such an admiration for dancers, went to a performing arts high school where I was in the acting part, but the ballerinas I was obsessed with and just thought, you know, so, so that has continued over, you know, I love, like, as a kid, I love dance movies. Like, girls just want to have fun and oh my god. Girl, you remember that movie? You remember that movie? I, that scene, I like, it is like imprinted in my brain that scene when she's being introduced to the class and she's like a little bit quite and she's like, I just love to dance. Yes. Everybody makes it. And you're just, ah, that's such a good love to dance. And then Helen Hunt makes fun of her for that afterwards. Yeah. How cool is Helen Hunt in that movie? So she was so cool in that movie, like taking her Catholic school, transforming her Catholic school girl uniform into like a Velcro, a hot outfit. Anyway, I'm so glad that you liked that movie. Sometimes my references are very obscure and anyway, but I'm, I am like living out my little girl middle school fantasy of becoming a dancer and yeah, I was just sort of, it was also like, it's now or never, you know, I want to do it before I can't move and, ah, I'm really glad I did. I'm having the best time. It's crazy. It's really intense, but it's so exciting. It's so fun. Okay, so I have this thing about quality. Like I will obsess over one small detail for an embarrassing amount of time and I've been reading about cozy earth sheets on literally every wellness blog I fall into at midnight. People are genuinely obsessed, like the kind of obsessed where they're talking about thread count and breathability on a first date, which, I mean, fair. If you're someone who wakes up hot and angry, cozy earth might fix that problem. These sheets are made to keep you cool. They are soft in that way that makes you feel fancy, but they are also just functional. Cozy Earth is so confident you can literally try them risk-free for 100 nights, 100. And they back it with a 10 year warranty. Head to cozy earth.com and use my code OMG for up to 20% off. that's code OMG for up to 20% off home and sleepwear. And if you see a post purchase survey, please be sure to mention that you heard about Cozy Earth right here. - Okay, so I'm not a huge drinker because I don't love feeling like a garbage can the morning after, but I still want that fun social lubrication. Sometimes when I'm at a party and I don't know where to put my hands and can absolutely gives that to me. I'm also so excited to announce that they just launched this new OMG line, which is fully THC-free. It is packed with passion flour, for mood, alcyanine, electrolytes. I mean, truly, what else do you need? Okay, the OMG line includes a caffeinated half and half with bergamot lemonade and urbamote iced tea, which is a collaboration with Dwayne Wade. We also have a blood-formed cardamom and 11 lavender. If you wanna give Kanna try, which I highly recommend, please go to drinkcan.com and use the promo code Zasha25 for 25% off. That's drinkcancin.com, promo code ZOSIA25 for 25% off. Enjoy. - We heard that it's so good. - Hey, everybody, it's me, Debbie, my bill. This season on my podcast, who's with me, I speak with actor, rapper, producer, Davi Diggs. What does need to? - The jump off for me was Hamilton and it was the most popular thing in a very long time, but it was still for me. It was me and my friends making something dumb. I'm a relatively shy person, play a lot of boisterous characters, or I'm really that way in life. - Listen to who's with me with Debbie Cwabel, wherever you get your podcast. (upbeat music) - How are you finding it on your body? Is it, do you feel, is it like, 'cause you're essentially in straight-up boot camp, right? - Yeah, yeah, it feels great. I mean, there's like the king, like the, the soreness, but it's a good kind of soreness, like. - Yeah. - I feel it's such good exercise and it just makes your body feel good. I mean, there's stiffness and there's things like, we were doing a ballroom dance last week. So I've been having to do like the proper, proper frame and obviously the back gets sore and the neck gets sore, but nothing crazy. It's been really nice, it's been really nice. - Do you feel like you have, like is there an area that feels more like your wheelhouse than another one? Like is there a place you feel dance-wise, like more comfortable, or is it all just kind of new to you to a certain degree? - It's all pretty new, it's like I'm a good mimic. You know, I think as actors we're good mimic, so I can mimic what I see on TV and what I see in front of me when my partner is demonstrating. There are styles of dance that I thought I would be good at. Like I'm like, oh, I can move my hips, I can salsa, I can do cha-cha, and then you get into the rehearsal and it's like constant correction. So it's very, it's very humbling. - Is there reverse, like are there things you were like, I won't be good at that, that you feel like actually are like way more comfortable in your body? - You know, I think all around, it's like getting over my own self-consciousness. That is my goal in this. So for instance, my partner is like, oh, you'd be really, you'd be really, he thinks I'd be really good at Rumba, which is like very slow, and you see all the articulation of the hips and everything, and it's putting on this like sexy performance, which is not my comfort zone. - Sure. - And I know in my head that I can do that, it's just about getting over the awareness of people watching me. - Is this one of your obsessions? - Oh, I mean, yes, I could, that could be one of my obsessions. I had brought like little cha-cha's, but no, yes, dancing the stars has been a long-term obsession of mine. - Do you, would you call, in general, like globally, would you call yourself an obsessive person? - Yes, yeah. I think I have like twins' sides about it, where I can be, I can be very obsessive, I can be, I can dwell on things, for sure. I like any performer can get very particular about perfecting a performance or any sort of, I can get obsessive about what I say in interviews, but I try to, also I can get a little like superstitious and that sort of thing, but I've been trying to shed that. - I need to see these cha-cha's, but are there obsessions? - Okay, well, here are my practice dance shoes, which are not, they're practical, but they're so wonderful, like you dance in heels, you dance in high heels that are like two inches tall, but so that you don't, - Which is also so insane. - So that you don't, that's been a learning curve, so that you don't, if you're dancing hours and hours a day, so that you don't get blisters, and you don't have incredibly sore calves and feet, we wear these little practice shoes, and I don't know, they just satisfy something in me. - I get that, I'm also like, I'm not a dancer, I'm a horseback rider, but there's something about like my gear that feels quite sacred and like, say she had something about the practice of doing this thing that I am obsessed with, that like even, yeah, like the tiniest things that just make me feel so like, like sort of, not that anybody's questioning it, or I'm questioning it, but like corroborate the fact that I do this thing, you know, like my riding gloves, or like my saddle soap or something like that, that I'm like, I'm a rider, and I have these things that sort of like, mark to the world that I am a rider, and like, they feel so kind of sacred to me. - Yeah, yeah, totally, the props, the things that the equipment that make you feel like, yeah, you belong doing this. Oh, you should go riding in Wales, I'm sure they have like majestic horses. - Yeah, I am. - I actually don't know why I'm sure of that, I just made it up, but I have this idea that they have these. - Yeah, it feels like they should. They actually, it's so funny, you say that, because I always have dreams of riding when I'm working and inevitably I never have enough time, but the principal cast on this show is so huge that like we'll all get these weird chunks of time off, and there's a huge park near my apartment, and I was walking the other day, and I was like, those are horses, and I was like, that's a riding school. So I had a friendship my gear over, I had them ship like my boots in my helmet, and I just before this walked over to the riding school, and was like, can I take a lesson? Do you guys only teach kids? And they were like, no, we teach adults. So yeah, I'm gonna go, I'm gonna go riding next week. - Oh, amazing, wonderful. And they're all like, I saw the ponies out the other day, they're all fat and chunky and probably kind of busted, but it'll be a joy nonetheless. - Oh, look, you have a stuffed animal horse by it. - Oh yeah, oh yeah. This was my producer set. We were like, we'll build a set eventually in LA, but I started this here, and so we wanted things, and so one of my wonderful producers sent this, which also, my therapist the other day, I was joking about, 'cause I couldn't get my meds over here. She was like, could you go to London and bring them back? I was like, yeah, look, I have a literal jug mule, like I could just hide them right in here. And who would suspect? - Oh my God, that's hilarious. - But my other favorite thing about this is this massive stuffed pony is that my tiny dog, Frankie, who is about five and a half pounds, thinks that this is her boyfriend. And she will pull him down onto the couch or onto the floor and make out with him, and it's very cute and also hilarious. - That's so cute. - Okay, so dancing shoes. - Dancing shoes. - Is this like, do we have a favorite brand, or? - I'm just doing what they tell me to do. I'm not really familiar with specific brands, I just like Ezra and the people at the show hand me a pair of shoes. But those are the ones that get the most wear and tear, and the brand is international dance shoes. - That sounds right on point. - Just really they were like, you know what, we're just gonna go with something straightforward. Do you have a second one? - I do, do you want two more or one more? - Whatever your heart desires here. - Heartner, as Rousseau said. As an opening night, or like, premiere night gift. Gave me this, it's in a little gold box. It's a, it's a bedazzled rooster. And it opens up, it opens up into, I think it's like for holding jewelry. I'm not really sure what its function is, other than you can hold stuff jewelry. Oh, maybe it was a candy dish, 'Cause it feels old. It feels like this. It maybe was a candy dish or something like that, you know like grandmother candy dish, but it's a bedazzle rooster and the story behind it Because it's a funny gift to give someone For a very thoughtful one. He and I did our first song Our first dance was to nine to five by Dolly Parton. Oh Thank God Basically on dancing with the stars every week they have a theme You have to pick a song and a dance that goes in that theme and the opening night was You had to dance to a hit song from the year you were born and 1981 the year I was born was kind of a weird year for music We weren't really in the 80s yet. We were kind of stuck in disco But it happened to be the year that nine to five came out and so that was a song I picked Didn't know that she was gonna pass away But in our rehearsals because I rewatched nine to five I kept quoting it to him And I would do that. There's a monologue that she has where she's like and I so I got a gun in my purse It's really long. I don't know the whole thing but paraphrased It's like I have a gun in my purse. And if you give me one more indecent proposal I will turn you from a rooster to a hand and he thought that was hilarious. So he got me a rooster That is incredible also just like what a perfect Memento for this experience as well Was really powerful and like roosters are so confident and they're so like hear hear me roar That movie also has one of my favorite lines that I always forget but Jane Fonda When she's sitting in like the safari outfit with What like do you know what I'm talking about that line where she's like She's like you're a blah blah blah blah blah blah. She's she's basically dressing him down Yeah, she rattles it off. I don't remember that one But I my other favorite line from that movie was Lily Tomlin going and we deserve dignity and respect But it was yeah, it was a great movie Such a silly movie too like a great message behind it and kind of radical for his time But we're touched on something that was hitting on his time But like going back and watching it. I was like oh my god. They literally are getting stoned and having like acting out fantasies of Revenge on their boss and they show it in like fantasy fantasy sequence It was great like it's really it's within that fantasy sequence. I think God the three of them together are truly spectacular Hey, it's Julia Louis Dreyfus from the wiser the meat podcast among other things and I've got a little holiday wisdom for you Hosting during the holidays means lots of cooking and that means your trash is going to be full of smelly rotting food Yuck, so here's the wisdom get a mill food recycler. I did we've had ours for years, and it is totally transformed our kitchen It's unbelievable how much cleaner everything is now plus it's so easy to use you toss in basically any food you don't eat Peels, pits, meat, dairy bones last year we put in a whole turkey carcass really While you sleep mill automatically dries and grinds all your food waste down to about a fifth of its size That means at night you can fill it after a big elaborate dinner and by morning They'll be room for breakfast nothing rots nothing stinks no fruit flies and my favorite part No more of those gross dripping mid dinner garbage runs if you want a cleaner Commer kitchen this holiday season go to mill dot com slash wiser for an exclusive offer that's mill dot com slash wiser Happy hosting You come to the New Yorker radio hour for conversations that go deeper with people you really want to hear from whether it's Bruce Springsteen or Questlove or Olivia Rodrigo Liz Cheney or the godfather of artificial intelligence Jeffrey Hinton or some of my extraordinarily well-informed colleagues in New Yorker So join us every week on the New Yorker radio hour wherever you listen to podcasts From Vanity Fair I'm Marco Ducci and I want to tell you about their new show fair game on every episode of fair game I'll sit down with a leading character in our culture from the worlds of Hollywood politics style Silicon Valley and beyond Fair game is a deep dive into some of the personalities that shape our world and the stories that you need to hear Think everyone and everything that you'd read about in the pages of Vanity Fair So join me Marco Ducci on YouTube Vanity Fair dot com and wherever you listen to podcasts. It's all fair game You What is your third obsession? Oh, I I've brought two props. I know we didn't need to have props, but I like a visual reference. So we love a prop um Also sort of the fun of so what social media the the beast that is social media It's a little penguin that says Juilliard and a and a water bottle that says Juilliard It's the official like merch from Juilliard the the performing arts school the very rigorous performing art school. Yes, what happened was when It was announced that I was going on dancing with the stars a bunch of people Responded as like fans of say the last dance going well wait. That's unfair. She has an advantage because she went to Juilliard Because in the movie my fictional character audition for Juilliard and got in at the end Now I thought it was a joke. I thought there's no way that people can think That I am actually that person that went to Juilliard, but I guess I was wrong. I don't know. I still don't get it But anyway, it started this whole thing where then Juilliard the school um Post like posted a whole thing saying um Yeah, we checked our registrar and she didn't actually go here And then and then like it was back and forth kind of thing as were my partner commented on it and was like really was that I don't know it was a whole back and forth thing it became and so as like a it would they sent they sent a bunch of merch And then really nice card to me on opening night premiere night and it was like it was very sweet kind of like like oh which if we you know It was the card was like Good luck and we know you'll damn they quoted the movie and everything but they sent like a bunch of swag and I really love it. I don't know. I really love it That's so cute also like good on Juilliard for like being so cheeky. I feel like that's fun that they like kind of got in on the joke Yeah also Yeah slightly terrifying that everybody like really compounded a film with reality But it's so funny. I had um I had this guy Jake Shane on the other day and we were actually talking about our obsession with merch um Because like good merch is so delicious Uh But then there is a funny like like I didn't go to college um But I think collegiate merch is so much fun But like I have a bit of a It's not quite a superstition. I guess it's more of a hang up that like I don't feel like I can purchase merch from a College I didn't go to unless it's like a very cool vintage piece like I found a vintage um Oxford sweatshirt once in a thrift store. I was like I feel like I'm allowed to buy this because it's in a thrift store Yeah, um, I think like I love this trend of wearing College merch that is not the college that you went to um, okay, so you think that the wedding that Juilliard shirts everywhere So now I feel like I didn't even audition for Juilliard Like didn't even think about going there. Okay. Well, that gives me maybe that like emboldens me a little bit to like Dip my tone to that because the only way that I felt okay was like a couple of The people on my team like my manager and my Agent their kids went off to college and I was like can you get me merch from the college that your kid goes to because I feel like I at least have like a connection to that Yeah, but um, yeah, maybe I'm just gonna start buying like MIT merch or something and yes Yes, people think I'm so good at math, which I was truly terrible at No, I think we I'm gonna jump on that. Okay, we're gonna start it. We're gonna do it Does dancing with the stars have merch? Oh my god so much merch Is it what's it like I save it all I save it all I'm I'm the opposite of a hoarder like I am the declutter so at home I'm constantly getting rid of stuff giving stuff away. I'm I don't really get that sentimental unless it's like really really special But I am gonna have a whole entire suitcase of dancing with the stars March to take home with me I like save the napkins. That's how stupid I am. Oh my god. This isn't okay. What's your favorite piece of merch so far? Mmm Um There's the coffee cup. There's like the not disposable coffee cup that says dancing with the stars on it. Oh the robe I think the robe is gonna be a big one because it has my name. There's a robe There's a robe that they have in your trailer so that you can when you're changing it out of costume You don't have or like going back and forth to the ballroom. You don't have to be naked If they need to fix your costume Which also the costume department is so incredible like the last they make these costumes from scratch Fit it to your body and then at the last minute if they Need to change something. I think they needed to make an alteration on my costume last week And they had to do it between the dress rehearsal and the actual live show on television and they did it But anyway, so stuff like that happens and you need to go into the ballroom and rehearse but or like just be there and stand in But your costumes not ready. You have this special robe It's a it's a robe that has the dancing with the stars logo on the back and it has my name on it that's special That is so special What happens to your costumes? - That's a good question. I think they have like a whole storage thing where I think they have stock. So I think it goes back into the stock and they'll probably repurpose it for other costumes. Maybe if there's a really special one, you could buy it or keep it. Yeah. (upbeat music) - Okay, so I like to at the end ask the guests to pitch me their obsession in a minute as if like I'm an alien that's come down from outer space and you're like trying to sell me on it. And you can do like I'm assuming you can do dancing with the stars if you want to because I-- - Yeah, that's an easy sell for me. Okay, are you ready? - Yeah. - Okay. - Okay, Zasha, do you like the feeling of joy and delight? (laughing) - Yes, yes. - Joy and delight is-- - Very much so. Joy and delight is the overall experience that you will feel watching this show. There is the spectacle of it all. This ballroom has this magical patina and you get to live in it for two hours. If you like music and you like watching people dance, people who are at the top of their game. And it's a kind of nod to another era when men and women dance together in a formal setting. They've incorporated some more modern choreography. So now that we don't have MTV and we can't watch the hot music video that is all the rage, you get to see people kind of doing a live music video. - I mean, Ali and Zasha is officially sold. So I will be watching, I will be downloading a VPN to watch this show. - Yes, do it. You know what, actually, you know what you probably have over there? There's a British version called Strictly Come Dancing. I've never watched it but it's the British version. - Okay, well, maybe that will be my gateway into it. I'll just start watching that while I'm here. - Yeah. - And then I'll be obsessed with British dancing with the stars. Okay, I can't wait, fantastic. This was so much fun. Thank you for hanging out, especially when I know you are so very busy right now. - Yes, it's so very talk to you. - I would assume that what you want people to see right now is you're on Dancing with the Stars. But now that you are deeply in the social media, where can the people find you? - Oh, it's Miss Julia Stiles. So @MissMISIS like Miss Julia Stiles on Instagram and TikTok. - Well, I'm so excited for you and I cannot wait to watch and I hope how many rounds are there? - It's 10 weeks, so we just did week one. And then if you make it to the, there's a semi-finals and then there's the finale. And the finale will be narrowed down to, I think, last time it was like four couples. But and then there's a winner. - What? - You get a mirror ball trophy. A trophy that is a mirror ball. And yes, do I want the mirror ball trophy? 100%. But I don't want to, like the other great lesson that I've learned in this is I don't want to, I don't want to jump to that. I actually just want all the stuff in between. I want all the weeks in between, all the experiences in between to get there would be really nice. - Do you think after this experience, like no matter how long it lasts, dance will now be a part of your life for the rest of your life? - 100%. Yes, and I'll be happy to go back into dance classes and continue it because it's a muscle and a skill that you have to keep working. So like I've noticed that the first couple rehearsals, I like couldn't get anything. Couldn't get anything. Simple steps, like literally walking. I couldn't do it. And then, and now my muscles, my muscle memory is connected more. So like I'm picking up, I'm picking up choreography much more quickly. - That's so cool. Okay, well, what am I allowed to say to you? - Oh, you know what I'm saying? - Actually, weirdly, everybody from that show does not, it's not superstitious about that all. They all say have a good show right beforehand. And I was like, what? I think we've all let it go. I'm a fan of saying mirrored, like they say. I don't know why that comes from saying mirrored, mirrored. But yeah, no, we've all been saying have a great show. It's fine. - Okay, well, Toy Toy Toy, have a great show. May you get your mirror ball. - May I get to the finale? I just want to get to the finale. Okay, may you get to the finale? Let's speak it into existence. - Thank you. If you haven't subscribed to Lemonada Premium yet, now is the perfect time. You can listen to OMG Obsessed, completely ad-free. Plus, you will unlock exclusive bonus content, like even more obsessive level details from my guess. Just tap that subscribe button on Apple Podcasts or go to lemonadapremium.com to subscribe on any other app. You can also listen ad-free on Amazon music with your prime membership. OMG Obsessed. (laughing)

Podcast Summary

Key Points:

  1. The guest, Julia Stiles, is a devoted fan of *Dancing with the Stars* for over a decade and recently joined the show after overcoming personal, logistical, and fear-related obstacles.
  2. She has a deep admiration for dancers and was inspired by her childhood love of dance movies, particularly the scene where a character says, “I just love to dance.”
  3. Her participation in the show was made possible by a shift in mindset, combining practical readiness (with young children) and a willingness to confront her self-consciousness and fears.
  4. The show’s opening night theme—dancing to a song from her birth year (1981)—led to a humorous anecdote involving a bedazzled rooster gift from her partner, referencing a quote from *Nine to Five*.
  5. Juilliard became a viral internet joke when fans mistakenly believed she attended the school, prompting the school to humorously confirm she didn’t, which ultimately strengthened her connection to the show’s spirit.
  6. She is deeply invested in the small, symbolic details of the experience, such as saving napkins and collecting show merch, including a personalized robe with her name.
  7. The experience has rekindled her passion for dance, and she now views it as a lifelong skill requiring ongoing practice and physical development.
  8. She emphasizes the joy, spectacle, and emotional fulfillment of the show, expressing a desire to relish every week of competition rather than just the final outcome.

Summary:

Julia Stiles, a longtime fan of *Dancing with the Stars*, recently joined the show after years of emotional and practical hesitation. Her journey reflects a blend of deep personal passion, self-overcoming, and fandom rooted in childhood memories of dance films. She shares how her fear of self-consciousness and family responsibilities initially kept her from participating, but a renewed confidence led her to take on the challenge.

The experience is filled with humorous anecdotes, including a symbolic bedazzled rooster gift from her partner referencing a line from *Nine to Five*, and a viral internet moment when fans mistakenly believed she attended Juilliard. Despite the show’s high-pressure environment, she finds joy in the process—highlighting the physical and emotional growth she experiences in dance. She values the weekly rituals, the camaraderie, and the sense of belonging, and is committed to continuing dance as both a physical skill and a personal passion.

Her story blends obsession, humor, and heartfelt reflection, showing how a lifelong love for dance can transform into a real-life pursuit. The episode celebrates not just the show’s spectacle, but the human connection, small rituals, and emotional journeys behind it.

FAQs

The New Yorker Radio Hour features in-depth, insightful conversations with notable figures in art, music, theater, literature, history, and more. Hosted by Alison Stewart, it includes guests like Bruce Springsteen, Olivia Rodrigo, and experts such as Jeffrey Hinton.

She has been a devoted fan of the show for over a decade and saw it as a long-held personal dream. After years of hesitation due to family and self-consciousness, she felt ready to face her fears and take the step forward.

No, the guest did not attend Juilliard. A viral rumor that she had attended the school originated from a fictional character in a movie, and Juilliard confirmed she did not have a record of attendance.

She finds the experience intense and exciting, describing the rehearsals as both challenging and joyful. She has improved her dance skills and feels a stronger connection to her body and rhythm.

The rooster was a gift from Juilliard, inspired by a joke from a movie where a character says she would turn a rooster into a hand. It symbolizes a fun, personal connection between the guest and the school, and serves as a memorable memento.

She believes dance will remain a part of her life long after the show. She sees it as a physical skill requiring ongoing practice and enjoys the process of learning and growing through each week of rehearsals.

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