Julia Stiles entered Dancing With the Stars’ Yacht Rock Night carrying more than the pressure of learning another routine. After a disappointing previous week and a painful rib injury during rehearsals, the Save the Last Dance actress found herself fighting both frustration and self-doubt.
The difficult stretch began after Stiles and professional partner Ezra Sosa received just 16 out of 30 for their Week 2 tango. The actress admitted afterward that she was deeply disappointed in herself because she knew the performance hadn’t reflected what she had been accomplishing in rehearsals.
During footage shown before her next performance, Stiles became emotional while talking with Sosa about what had happened.
She explained that performing live as herself felt very different from acting in a movie. On a film set there are multiple takes and opportunities to correct mistakes, while on DWTS the performance happens once, in front of millions of viewers and three judges ready to score it.
The criticism clearly stayed with her. Stiles had previously admitted that receiving such low scores “hurts,” even though she respected the judges and understood that their comments were intended to help her improve.
Then rehearsals for Yacht Rock Night created another problem.
While preparing a salsa to Hall & Oates’ “I Can’t Go for That (No Can Do),” Stiles injured her rib during rehearsal. She explained that they had apparently “popped” it, making a week filled with lifts, tricks and energetic movements considerably more difficult.
Rather than removing herself from the competition, Stiles continued rehearsing with Sosa while carefully working around the pain.
When performance night finally arrived, however, something looked different.
Stiles appeared noticeably more relaxed as she and Sosa worked through their salsa. Bruno Tonioli praised her for finally letting herself loosen up, while Carrie Ann Inaba told her that she had given herself permission to “let go.” Derek Hough also welcomed the improvement after her difficult previous week.
Their scores reflected that progress. Stiles and Sosa received 19 out of 30, including her first seven of the season and a three-point improvement from the previous week.
But perhaps the biggest change came in Stiles’ own reaction. Instead of leaving the ballroom focused on what had gone wrong, she admitted that she had finally rediscovered the enjoyment she had been missing, crediting Sosa with helping pull her out of the difficult place she had been in after Week 2.
For Stiles, Yacht Rock Night wasn’t simply about moving from a 16 to a 19. After tears, harsh self-criticism and a painful rehearsal injury, the judges’ comments gave her something she badly needed — evidence that the work was finally beginning to show on the dance floor.
