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Watch Julia Stiles step into surprise ‘Save the Last Dance’ routine on ‘SNL’

<a href="">Charles Sykes/Invision/AP</a>

By: Bridget Sharkey

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Did you have Julia Stiles recreating her “Save the Last Dance” final dance scene on your holiday wish list?

We didn’t, either. But, it turns out it is exactly what we needed as an early gift from Santa Claus.

Stiles shocked the “Saturday Night Live” audience this weekend when she made an impromptu appearance during the Weekend Update segment on Dec. 9. Stiles joined Chloe Fineman as the comedian was showing off her own moves for a segment that was supposed to be about holiday gifts.

“The perfect holiday gift this year is the dance that Julia Stiles does at the end of the 2001 movie ‘Save the Last Dance,'” Fineman explains to Colin Jost and Michael Che.

As Fineman, wearing the dancer’s black leotard with black sweatpants, begins to mimic some of Stiles’s iconic dance moves from that scene (including those infamous hand gestures), she explains the movie’s plot.

“So does she get into Juilliard?” Jost asks.

“Yes!” Stiles says as she jumps into the scene, also wearing a black leotard and sweats. And, as “Save the Last Dance” fans might expect, she is carrying a folding chair.

Watch the segment below on YouTube:

Stiles last appeared on “Saturday Night Live” in 2001. At that time, Stiles played the role of Jenna Bush opposite Will Ferrell’s infamous George W. Bush. After last Saturday’s show aired, Stiles took to social media to thank the cast. Posing beside Fineman backstage, Stiles gushed about the experience, writing on Instagram, “Live From NY, Baby! Thanks a million @chloeiscrazy for the time warp. I had a blast.”

Watch Stiles’s original dance from “Save the Last Dance” on YouTube below:

Stiles is currently starring in Prime Video’s “The Lake.” The fast-paced comedy gives Stiles a chance to show off her wit. And the 42-year-old mother of two often shares funny moments about motherhood on social media, and she says that motherhood has made her a better actor.

“One of the most remarkable things is that, in many ways, having my attention focused on my son has made me a better actress because I don’t come home every night dwelling on every little scene, every little line, and obsessing over my work,” Stiles told People magazine.

Stiles was a teen movie icon in the early aughts, including starring in “10 Things I Hate About You,” “The Prince and Me,” “Down to You” and “O.” Here’s hoping we see another recreation of a famous scene from one of these movies in the future, too!