Julia Stiles Dances To Dolly Parton’s ‘9 To 5’ On ‘Dancing With The Stars’ After Country Icon’s Approval

After weeks of anticipation, Dancing With the Stars is officially back in the ballroom, and Season 35 kicked off with an emotional two-night premiere. Among this season’s new celebrity dancers is actress Julia Stiles, who officially made her debut on Wednesday night alongside her professional partner, Ezra Sosa. For her first performance of the season, Stiles took on one of Dolly Parton’s most iconic songs, “9 To 5.”

For premiere week, the show gave each celebrity the challenge of choosing a chart-topping hit from the year they were born and Stiles opted for the 1980 tune from the country music icon’s catalog.

Prior to taking the stage, the 10 Things I Hate About You actress revealed that this felt like an especially meaningful way to kick off the season, considering the fact that Parton herself approved the show to use her original recording of “9 To 5” before she died in August.

“Tonight I am dancing to “9 To 5” by Dolly Parton. It was only a couple weeks before Dolly passed that she approved this song specifically for me. We got to make this theatrical. I’m so honored to be dancing to her music and honoring her legacy and I want to make her proud,” Stiles stated.

She also noted that she us “truly obsessed” with the competition show and always secretly dreamed about being a part of it one day. However, Stiles clarified that she is not a professional dancer, and only played an aspiring ballerina turned hip-hop dancer in the 2001 film, Save the Last Dance.

The pair hit the dance floor with a vibrant quickstep, surrounded by a stage glowing in shades of pink. Stiles and Sosa also brought the glamour with sleek, champagne-colored costumes that matched the energy of the upbeat performance.

Stiles fulfilled her mission of embracing her theatrical side as she effortlessly shined with every step and kept a smile on her face through it all. She appeared to break out of her comfort zone as she matched the energy of Parton’s tune and delivered a performance that had both the crowd and judges on their feet.

When the performance came to an end, the audience gave the dancers a standing ovation while several people even wiped away tears as they became overcome with emotion over hearing Parton’s iconic voice fill the room.

Derek Hough was up first to share his thoughts from the judging panel.

“First of all, Julia, that was beautiful, graceful. You are absolutely beaming. I love to see it. I love to see it. For me, you have all that. The quick step, I just want you to take off the handbrake and move across this floor with a little more energy. It felt a little careful, a bit more gusto in the dances. So moving forward in those types of dances, the energy, I want a little bit more attack, a little more energy, but what a beautiful, fantastic dance. I love it,” he stated.

Next up, Bruno Tonioli praised Stiles for her effort in the “character-driven light comedy dance,” stating that she stayed in character and was “spot on all the way through.”

“You were playing a part and dancing beautifully, but…there is a drive that comes with a quick step. They say you should be like running on hot colds. It is that kind of feeling that flies across the floor. But I tell you, you’re a great actor and a great dancer,” he added.

Last but not least, Carrie Ann Inaba gave a rave review along with some constructive criticism.

“It was really clean and you’re very rating,” she admitted. “You’re very expansive when you perform and I like that. Your arm out of hold, sometimes just a little small. And sometimes I think you were trying to lean as opposed to extend…try thinking about extending, okay? And I think that will help you with that part.”

Just before hearing their scores, Julia Stiles once again shared how honored she was to get to perform to a song that Parton personally gave her blessing on, especially knowing what a legacy that the songstress left behind in the world.

“It was the first song we talked about. I wanted it so badly. We didn’t know that what was going to happen. She cleared it and I just feel so honored to honor Dolly. She’s such a powerhouse and the song is so great. It’s such an anthem and yeah, what a legend. She was great.”

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The pair earned three sixes from the judges, bringing their total to 18 out of 30 and placing them at the top of the leaderboard at the time of their performance. Fans then had the chance to vote for their favorite celebrities throughout the night and ultimately helped Stiles and Sosa advance to the next round of the competition.

Next week, they will return to the ballroom alongside their competitors who will perform once again with hopes of earning enough votes to move on in the competition and get one step closer to earning the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy at the finale.

Season 35 of Dancing with the Stars will air new episodes weekly on Tuesdays at 8:00 PM ET/PT  live on ABC or streamed on Disney+.