Julia Stiles paid tribute to Dolly Parton on "Dancing With the Stars" on Sept. 16, revealing that the country music legend personally cleared her to use "9 to 5" just weeks before her death.
The "Save the
Last Dance" star and pro partner Ezra Sosa performed a quickstep to Parton's hit for her debut on the ballroom floor for Night 2 of the competition.
"It was only a couple weeks before Dolly passed that she approved this song specifically for me," Stiles said. "I'm so honored to be dancing to her music and honoring her legacy, and I want to make her proud."
Parton died at age 80 on Aug. 25 after a quiet battle with cancer.
Following the performance, judge Derek Hough said Stiles was "beautiful, graceful, and you are actually beaming," adding that she needs to bring more energy. Bruno Tonioli praised Stiles for leaning into theatricality.
"You were in-character, spot on, all the way through... you were playing a part and dancing beautifully," Tonioli said.
Carrie Ann Inaba called the routine "really clean."
After leaving the ballroom floor, Stiles told cohost Julianne Hough that "9 to 5" was her top choice for the performance.
"It was the first song we talked about. I wanted it so badly," Stiles said. "We didn't know what was going to happen. She cleared it, and I just feel so honored, like, to honor Dolly. She's such a powerhouse and this song is so great, like, it's such an anthem."
Stiles and Sosa received 6s from all three judges for a total score of 18 out of 30, advancing to the next round.
Who went home on 'Dancing With the Stars' Night 2
Cohosts Hough and Alfonso Ribeiro announced the eliminations, with viewer votes combined with the judges' scores to determine which couples advanced.
The first couple announced safe was Maura Higgins and Mark Ballas, followed by Jenna Dewan and Val Chmerkovskiy. Next to advance were Amber Glenn and Pasha Pashkov, Stiles and Sosa, and Ciara Miller and Brandon Armstrong.
That left Giada De Laurentiis and Alan Bersten, Tatyana Ali and Jan Ravnik, and Sarah Jane Nader and Hailey Bills awaiting their fate, with Nader and Bills ultimately eliminated.
Judges scores:
• Maura Higgins and Mark Ballas: 21/30
• Jenna Dewan and Val Chmerkovskiy: 19/30
• Amber Glenn and Pasha Pashkov: 18/30
• Julia Stiles and Ezra Sosa: 18/30
• Giada De Laurentiis and Alan Bersten: 16/30
• Ciara Miller and Brandon Armstrong: 15/30
• Sarah Jane Nader and Hailey Bills: 14/30
• Tatyana Ali and Jan Ravnik: 12/30
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Julia Stiles says Dolly Parton approved her 'DWTS' song before death
