Kerry Washington Says Julia Stiles Taught Her to Stand Up for Herself on a Freezing Save the Last Dance Night Shoot
by Sari Moon · Thought CatalogBy Sari Moon
Updated 4 minutes ago, October 8, 2026
Kerry Washington says Julia Stiles taught her to stand up for herself on a freezing Save the Last Dance night shoot. Julia Stiles had a condition for another take during a freezing Chicago night shoot for Save the Last Dance: director Thomas Carter would have to take off his coat, too. Washington recalled that he did, and the next take was their last.
Washington told the story to Kylie Kelce on the October 1, 2026 episode of Not Gonna Lie. The actresses were filming a short scene outside a car, dressed for a night at a club. Washington described their clothes as “cute Hollywood nothing outfits,” while the crew had down coats, boots, mittens, earmuffs and masks.
Their breath was visible in the cold, Washington said, and her hands and feet had gone numb. When Carter asked for another take, Stiles told him, “we will go as many times as you want if you take off your coat.”
After removing it, he called the situation “insane.” Both actresses agreed.
Stiles was 18 during the winter shoot, and Save the Last Dance was Washington’s first studio film. Washington described Carter as “so lovely,” but remembered Stiles’s response as a lesson that stayed with her.
Her approach to actors as a producer is still shaped by it, she said, adding that it “really taught me about advocating for myself on set”.
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