Julia Stiles quit "serious" dance lessons after 'Save the Last Dance' because the film made her "self-conscious" about performing

Julia's love for dance "has not gone away" and she boogies in her house and in virtual classes, but she is reluctant to attend a "serious" session because the star fears she will be "judged based on that movie".

The '10 Things I Hate About You' star explained to Elizabeth Day on the 'How to Fail With Elizabeth Day' podcast: "Dancers are a judgmental group. They can be. They're also a very supportive group.

"Yeah, it sounds stupid when I say it out loud now because, like, who cares? But I think that if I went to, like, a serious - whether it's ballet or hip-hop, kind of, dance class, I would feel like I was being judged based on that movie. And, like, I'm supposed to be a professional dancer.

"But yeah, f*** it, I'm going to put my leggings on and find a class. I just have to find the right class, the one that would be, like, really fun for me."

Julia took part in "virtual dance classes" during the Covid-19 pandemic, and she liked it because people could not "see what your body is doing" as she was performing in the "privacy of my own home".

The 'Jason Bourne' actress explained: "I dance all the time in my house, in my living room.

"I'll even dance on the sidewalk. I don't care. Like, I walk down a New York City street with my headphones on, and I will catch myself, like shimmying a little bit, and then I have to go, oh my God, I'm in public, you can't do that.

"So, my love of dance has not gone away. But, I haven't been to a formal class at all. There was a period of time during the pandemic where I would do, like, virtual dance classes.

"There were studios online that would post, like - there were great teachers that would post their own, like, dance class. And I would do that in the privacy of my own home.

"And it's because, you know - am I lazy? Maybe. But it's also the self-consciousness of, like, dancing in front of ... I've done aqua zumba, which is like zumba inside a pool so nobody can see what your body is doing."

And Julie is determined to overcome her self-consciousness.

She said: "I guess it's just being, yeah, being self-conscious, which is such a shame. I should get over that. And I will."