Sean Patrick Thomas thrilled Save the Last Dance fans with an audience appearance on Dancing with the Stars.
The actor supported Julia Stiles as she recreated moves from their 2001 film, The Sun reports.
Her performance included a familiar pose from Sean, giving eagle-eyed viewers another connection to the movie beyond the choreography.
Fans barely recognised the star
But Dancing With The Stars fans were extremely shocked to see how different Sean Patrick Thomas looks now.
One YouTube commenter wrote: “OH…MY…FREAKING GOSHHH AHHH!!! Seeing Sean in the audience and giving a nod to Save The Last Dance was absolutely EVERYTHING!!”
Another added: “Sean being there is so sweet! Julia killed this.”
“He looks so different. It’s so amazing to see him again” a third commented. Another penned: “I genuinely didn’t recognise him at first!”
Some viewers even referred to Sean by his character’s name, Derek, as they celebrated seeing him supporting Julia.
Sean Patrick Thomas and Julia Stiles’ film connection
Sean, 55, played Derek opposite Julia’s Sara in Save the Last Dance, directed by Thomas Carter.
The story follows their growing relationship in Chicago, where the two characters come from different backgrounds.
Sara is adjusting to a new school while pursuing her ambitions as a dancer. Derek helps her prepare for a dance competition at the Juilliard School.
Their screen partnership also brought awards success. The film’s honours included Best Kiss and Breakthrough Male Performance at the MTV Movie Awards.
It also picked up Teen Choice Awards in the actress, breakout star and fight scene categories.
For fans remembering those characters, Sean’s appearance added a reunion moment to Julia’s latest performance.
Julia Stiles revisits Save the Last Dance on Dancing with the Stars
Julia danced with partner Ezra Sosa to Jennifer Lopez’s Jenny From The Block on the ABC programme.
The pair worked recognisable moves from the film into their routine. Sean appeared behind Ezra with his jacket slung over his shoulder as they watched Julia dance.
That pose echoed a scene from Save the Last Dance, a detail viewers picked out in their comments.
Sean later recorded a message for the programme’s TikTok account, sharing his excitement about watching his former co-star.
He said: “I am just over the moon to be here to watch Julia do her thing tonight”.
He also recalled enjoying their time making the film and praised Julia for bringing it back through her performance.
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