In an era of great teen flicks of the 2000s, Save The Last Dance sits near the top of the most beloved and iconic. For those who need a refresher, the film follows ballerina hopeful Sara, who has her heart set on making it into the prestigious school of dance, Juilliard in New York - until her mother passes away and she has to up roots and move to the Southside to live with her estranged father. There, she meets Derek, a charismatic teen from the ‘wrong side of the tracks’ who teaches her the ins and outs of hip hop dance. Spoiler alert: they fall in love!
22 years since the cult classic came out, here’s where the cast are now…
Julia Stiles (Sara).
Stiles was already on everyone’s radar after her stellar turn as feisty Kat in teen hit 10 Things I Hate About You, and she jokes that it was her dance moves at Bogey Lowenstein’s party that secured her next dance role as Sara.
“That’s how I got the job in Save The Last Dance, by the way, I think it was from that scene,” the actress said. “That’s what I was told.”
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After the success of the dance film, and at the height of her fame, Stiles took a break to study English literature at Columbia University. And while she never quite reached that career peak she did in the early noughties, Stiles kept consistently busy, playing Nicky Parsons in the Bourne movies from 2002 to 2016, and landing roles in Silver Linings Playbook and Jennifer Lopez’s female heist drama, Hustlers, in 2019. Stiles played a journalist in the based-on-a-true-story film, and said it came at a time when she felt she no longer had a place in Hollywood.
“I think a few years ago my frustration was feeling like nobody knew what to do with me,” she told The Daily Beast. “You know, I had had some success in my twenties and now I’m in a different place in my life and I didn’t really fit in anywhere.”
In her personal life, Stiles, 42, is happily married to Preston J Cook, with whom she shares two young children, Strummer and Arlo. As for her teen movies era, Stiles said in 2019 that she feels mixed emotions about it.
“Save The Last Dance came on TV the other night… and there was a part of me that was curious about the memories of making that movie,” she told Good Morning America. “And then I immediately turned it off because it was cringeworthy to me!”
Sean Patrick Thomas (Derek).
Derek’s smooth moves won over Sara in STLD, and in real life, Thomas maintained his popularity in Hollywood in the years that followed. Fresh from his dancing stint, he switched gears for 2002 horror film Halloween: Resurrection, then moved over to comedy to star alongside rapper Ice Cube in Barbershop and Barbershop 2.
He never forgot the movie that gave him his big break, reuniting with Stiles in 2021 to celebrate STLD’s 20th anniversary and revealing that he appreciated the impact the film’s racial themes had on the audience.
“To have people still talking about it 20 years later… I have women sending me pictures, like, ‘I married this black guy and you made me feel like that was OK,’” Thomas, 52, told Entertainment Tonight. “I hear life-changing things to this day about it… I so much appreciate it.”
Thomas, who has two kids, Lola and Luc, with wife Aonika Laurent, has also kept in touch with another co-star – Kerry Washington, aka his sister Chenille. Washington actually recruited Thomas recently for a role in her TV show Reasonable Doubt, which she executive produced and also directed the pilot. “What attracted me to the role, obviously right off the bat, was the chance to work with Kerry again,” he said.
Kerry Washington (Chenille).
The Bronx native “loooooved being a part of this film”, posting a throwback photo from the Save The Last Dance set on Instagram to mark 20 years since it was released.
“OH EM GEE!!!!! Save the Last Dance turns 20 years old today !” she wrote. “Playing Chenille changed my life…”
That’s an understatement. In the years that followed, Washington became a household name playing Olivia Pope in the popular series Scandal, from 2012 to 2018, and garnered praise for her roles in films Ray and Django Unchained. In 2020, she teamed up with Reese Witherspoon for the small screen adaptation of the hit book Little Fires Everywhere and she has also been busy running her own production company, Simpson Street.
But it’s being a mum to Isabella and Caleb that has brought Washington, 46, the most joy. “The thing that has changed the most about me since I became a mom is that my heart keeps getting bigger and bigger,” the Emmy-winning actress said of her kids with husband, Nnamdi Asomugha.
Vince Green (Snookie).
Green’s DJ character was the outgoing guy in the group, and the cultural impact was evident years later when Jersey Shore star Snooki said her nickname was inspired by him.
After Save The Last Dance wrapped, Green scored supporting roles in 2002’s Barbershop alongside Thomas, and went on to appear in shows Criminal Minds, Everybody Hates Chris and The Soul Man.
Bianca Lawson (Nikki).
STLD was Lawson’s first feature film, and playing Derek’s jealous ex-girlfriend really gave her the acting bug. The Los Angeles native went on to star in quite a few shows, including Saved By The Bell: The New Class, Witches of East End, Pretty Little Liars and The Vampire Diaries.
In 2015, Lawson, now 44, became Beyonce’s stepsister when her actor father, Richard Lawson, married Bey’s mum Tina Knowles.
Elisabeth Oas (Diggy).
Michigan-born actress Oas kept the acting going for a while, appearing in thrillers like 2005’s Under The City and 2009’s Into Temptation. But she’s remained quiet ever since, and has presumably finished up with show business.
Fredro Starr (Malakai).
A rapper with ‘80s group Onyx before he tried his hand at acting, Starr continued working on a string of TV shows and films after his portrayal of Malakai in the teen dance film. On the 52-year-old’s CV? Roles in Law & Order, Moesha, The Wire and CSI: NY. Starr is also a dad to two kids he shares with wife Korina Longin, who he married back in 2007.
Garland Whitt (Kenny).
Post dance life, Whitt went on to act alongside legend Denzel Washington for the second time with a small role in 2001 cop drama Training Day. Like Starr, he appeared in Law & Order as well as Cold Case and NCIS: Los Angeles, and more recently, moved over to voicework on Netflix’s animated series, The Last Kids on Earth.
Feature Image: Instagram.
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