Julia Stiles, 45, Left Hollywood to Finish College – Now She's Back on 'DWTS' and Raising 3 Kids with a Husband Who Avoids the Spotlight – Photos & Details

Long before ballroom judges weighed in, the star had already made a habit of taking unexpected turns, including one that pulled her away from the trajectory Hollywood seemed to have mapped out for her. Years later, a deeply personal tribute, some cheeky pushback, and rare glimpses of the life she built off-camera are putting her story back in the spotlight.

Julia Stiles, 45, built one of the most recognizable careers of her generation, then did something few rising stars at her level would dare: she deliberately made herself less visible. Decades later, her return to a televised dance floor came with a poignant behind-the-scenes detail and a judges' score that immediately got viewers talking.

Meanwhile, away from the cameras and the ballroom, the actress has built another side of her life that fans don't see nearly as often. Scroll through to see Stiles' journey from in-demand young movie star to college student, "Dancing with the Stars" ("DWTS") contestant, wife, and mom of three — along with rare glimpses of the family she has kept largely outside Hollywood's glare.

Before the Ballroom, Julia Stiles Was One of the Faces of a Generation

Long before her latest television chapter, Stiles became closely associated with a string of films that helped define the late 1990s and early 2000s. She made a major splash as Kat Stratford in 1999's "10 Things I Hate About You," playing the sharp, serious teenager opposite Heath Ledger's Patrick. Stiles later told The Independent that the character immediately spoke to the person she was at 17.

At the time, Stiles said, she had "a lot of teenage angst" and was regularly encouraged to be more bubbly, less serious, and more effervescent. Then she read the script. "I thought, 'Finally, a teenage girl who speaks to me,'" Stiles recalled, explaining that Kat felt like an affirmation that it was okay for a teenage girl to be intellectual and serious. Looking back as an adult, however, Stiles could also see the humor in just how intense the character was.

Her career only accelerated from there. In 2001, she starred in "Save the Last Dance" as an aspiring ballerina who relocates to a predominantly Black school in Chicago and falls for a hip-hop dancer, played by Sean Patrick Thomas.

The movie became a major hit, earning more than £100 million (roughly over $133 million) and, by Stiles' own account, leaving Hollywood's doors wide open to her.

She also went on to appear in the Jason Bourne films, "Silver Linings Playbook" and "Hustlers," among other projects. Yet at the moment when she could have leaned all the way into being a young Hollywood star, Stiles made a very different choice.

She Was 'Running Away from Fame'

Rather than structuring her entire life around the next movie, Stiles chose college. The New York native attended Columbia University after Friends Seminary and Professional Children's School. And years later, she gave a strikingly candid explanation for why. "I was running away from fame, to be honest," Stiles revealed.

She explained further, "I wanted to be in the insular bubble of college. It was totally unconscious, but I wanted to be able to do all the trial and error mistakes that you make as you're growing up and finding your voice in a more insular environment than just out in the public eye."

There was also a professional reason behind the decision. Stiles was thinking ahead to a future in which she might find herself across the table from powerful producers and studio executives.

"I was thinking, 'When I am a grown-up, when I'm sitting around with producers and studio executives, I want to be able to have had that experience, just to be taken seriously." Still, she didn't completely abandon acting.

Production on "The Bourne Identity" had to fit around her exams, while a Rolling Stone writer following Stiles for a cover profile accompanied her around campus as she bought philosophy books. Looking back, the actress admitted she may have been "obnoxiously precocious" and a little too much of a "smarty pants" in those days. She also joked that nobody younger than 27 should be quoted in print.

Stiles said she was ultimately glad that her younger years played out before the era of social media and the intense dissection of celebrity comments online.

She Never Actually Stopped Challenging Herself

Even while she was in college, Stiles continued working. She appeared on the London stage in David Mamet's "Oleanna," playing Carol, a student caught in a deeply contentious power struggle with her professor. The role stayed with her.

Stiles recalled bracing herself each night for the reaction from the audience during the third act, when Carol falsely accuses the professor of attempted rape "according to the law." She remembered hearing reactions that ranged from groans to audience members cursing at her. "It was scary," she said.

Years later, she said the production had made her think about the danger of audiences viewing two fictional characters as stand-ins for all men and all women. She even expressed a desire to direct her own version of the controversial play, with the goal of preventing audiences from simply dismissing Carol as evil.

Her later television work also allowed her to explore morally complicated women. Beginning in 2017, Stiles starred in "Riviera" as Georgina Clios, an art curator whose life spirals after the death of her billionaire husband. Stiles said she deliberately pushed for Georgina's most violent act to be premeditated rather than presented as simple self-defense.

Why? "Playing a good girl, it's just boring," she said, explaining that she became an actress partly to explore things on-screen that she would never have the courage or circumstances to do in real life.

By 2020, she had also signed on for "Esther," a prequel to the psychological horror movie "Orphan," after initially expecting that the pandemic might shut down her work for the remainder of the year.

All of which makes her latest challenge feel strangely fitting. Because 25 years after "Save the Last Dance," Stiles is once again being judged for what she can do on a dance floor.

Her 'DWTS' Return Came with an Unexpected Dolly Parton Connection

Stiles joined Season 35 of "DWTS" alongside professional partner Ezra Sosa. For their quickstep on the second night of the premiere, the pair danced to Dolly Parton's "9 to 5." But before Stiles ever stepped onto the ballroom floor, something unusually meaningful had happened behind the scenes.

According to People, Parton herself had personally approved the use of the song for Stiles shortly before her death at 80 on August 25. "It was only a couple weeks [sic] before Dolly passed that she approved this song specifically for me," Stiles revealed in her rehearsal package. "I'm so honored to be dancing to her music and honoring her legacy, and I want to make her proud."

That connection gave an already important performance a completely different emotional weight. Stiles later explained that "9 to 5" had been the first song she and the show's team discussed. "I wanted it so badly," she said after performing. "We didn't know what was gonna happen. She cleared it, and I just feel so honored, like, to honor Dolly."

Calling Parton a "powerhouse," Stiles praised both the singer and the song. "And the song is so great. Like, it's such an anthem. And, yeah, what a legend," she said. The choice also had a personal connection: "9 to 5" was a No. 1 hit in 1981, the year Stiles was born.

She had selected the track before Parton's death and later said that when she felt shaky or struggled with self-doubt, she thought about the country legend. "She was just epic," Stiles said.

The Judges Praised Her…but the Number on the Scoreboard Got People Talking

The ballroom audience gave Stiles and Sosa a standing ovation, while the judges highlighted several strengths in her performance. Derek Hough called Stiles "beautiful" and "graceful," although he urged her to "take off the hand brake [sic]" and bring more energy while moving across the ballroom.

Bruno Tonioli told her, "You're a great actor and a great dancer," while Carrie Ann Inaba described the routine as "really clean" and called Stiles "very radiant." Then came the scores. Inaba, Hough and Tonioli each gave Stiles a six. That left her with 18 points out of a possible 30.

The reaction online suggested some viewers believed the performance deserved more. Alongside a "DWTS" Facebook post, one fan reacted to the song's backstory, writing, "Personally approved by Dolly 😭😭," while another took issue with the judging, "loved this, i disagree with judges the song was not fast enough for the tempo and speed that dance requires. Julia was amazing [sic]."

A fellow observer kept their reaction short and enthusiastic: "Best dance!" For Stiles herself, however, finally being inside a ballroom she had watched from home for years appeared to matter more than a single night's score.

"Oh my God, it's so exhilarating," she said. "I am a super fan, and this guy has pulled me out of my shell in, like, the most amazing way." Sosa admitted it took him "two to three business days" to get over the fact that Stiles is his celebrity partner. "I just feel so lucky not just to be able to dance with her, but to get to see someone live their dreams," he said. "It is so special."

Even Andy Cohen Became Part of the Conversation

There was another layer to Stiles' return to competitive dancing. Just before the latest "DWTS" performance, Andy Cohen revisited a debate that has followed her for years: that famous "Save the Last Dance" audition routine. During Kerry Washington's appearance on Cohen's SiriusXM show, the host asked, "Can we all just agree that Julie Stiles is not the greatest dancer on the planet?"

Washington wasn't having it. As TheWrap reported, she questioned why people remained so committed to criticizing the routine. "Why are people so committed to throwing shade at this dance?" Washington asked with a laugh. The movie's choreography has been mocked for years and even inspired an "SNL" sketch in 2023.

But Washington reminded Cohen that the routine had been created by Choreographer Fatima Robinson. "Fatima's a legend," she said. "She was choreographing that dance within a specific cultural context and moment." When Cohen joked, "Hashtag blame Fatima," Washington immediately pushed back.

"No, no. I love Fatima," she replied. "I'm just saying greatness goes through different eras." That exchange apparently wasn't forgotten inside the "DWTS" ballroom either. Following Stiles' quickstep, Hough delivered his own cheeky message: "Andy Cohen, you can eat it."

Dolly Parton Had Her Own History with the Ballroom

Stiles' tribute also carried an extra connection for longtime "DWTS" viewers. Parton had appeared on the program back in 2007, when she performed "9 to 5" as the show's professional dancers joined her. "The fact that we got to highlight her magic on our show back in 2007, I mean, it's really incredible," Julianne said while reflecting on Parton's legacy, according to Hello!.

During a Good Morning America appearance, Hough also praised Parton's authenticity, openness, and ability to connect with people. For Stiles, that history meant her quickstep was more than a nostalgic song choice. A piece of "DWTS" history had effectively come full circle. But while viewers are now seeing Stiles back in a bright television spotlight, her life away from the cameras looks considerably quieter.

The Man Beside Stiles Has Spent His Career Behind the Camera

Stiles' husband, Preston J. Cook, works in entertainment too — just on a much less public-facing side of it. According to TV Insider, Cook is a camera assistant whose credits include "Love It or List It Vancouver," "Step Up All In," "The Revenant," "Deadpool," and "War for the Planet of the Apes."

The couple met in 2014 while working on "Blackway." Stiles starred in the thriller, while Cook worked as its second camera assistant. The following year, he was also a camera assistant on "Jason Bourne," which again featured Stiles.

From a Film Set to a Family

Their relationship took another step on Christmas Eve 2015, when Cook proposed during a vacation in Colombia. Two years later, Stiles was pregnant with their first child when they married in September 2017. The ceremony was extremely intimate, with only the officiant and two witnesses present.

Stiles made light of the circumstances afterward, captioning a wedding image: "Who doesn't love a shotgun wedding?" Their oldest child arrived soon afterward. Stiles and Cook welcomed their first son, Strummer, in October 2017.

Her family life also offered the actress something vastly different from the relentless attention she had experienced as a young star.

Cook and Stiles eventually became parents for a second time. Their son Preston was born in January 2022, adding another child to a household that Stiles has generally kept out of celebrity coverage. Their relationship also illustrates just how intertwined their professional worlds were from the beginning: Stiles may have spent years in front of the lens, but Cook's career has largely unfolded behind it.

The couple's biggest family surprise came with baby No. 3. Stiles gave birth again in 2023, but the public did not learn about the child's arrival immediately; she kept the news private until April 2024, when she revealed in an interview with The New York Times that she and Cook had welcomed a third child.

That means the former teen-film favorite is now raising three children while returning to one of television's most high-profile live competitions.

Her 'DWTS' Chapter Brings Two Versions of Julia Stiles Together

Stiles and her family live in New York City, and Sosa had revealed before rehearsals began that he would spend several months in New York — an arrangement that allows Stiles to remain closer to Cook and their children when she isn't in Los Angeles for show days. In some ways, her "DWTS" run connects nearly every era of her life.

There is the actress whose dancing became part of pop culture in "Save the Last Dance"; there is the young woman who turned toward Columbia University when fame could have swallowed her whole, and now there is the 45-year-old wife and mother of three stepping into a live ballroom, openly describing herself as a longtime fan and allowing herself to be pulled "out of my shell."

Her first major emotional moment of the season came with Parton's personal approval; her score — 18 out of 30 — gave viewers something to debate, and her family photos reveal what happened during the many years between the teenage roles that made Stiles famous and the woman viewers are now watching rediscover the dance floor.

For someone who once admitted she was "running away from fame," her return is an intriguing one: not a return to the life she left behind, but a chance to step back into the spotlight on very different terms.