Kerry Washington Celebrates 20th Anniversary of 'Save the Last Dance'

Kerry Washington is looking back at one of her first big roles!

The 43-year-old actress took to Instagram on Tuesday (January 12) to share a post in honor of the 20th anniversary of Save the Last Dance.

“OH EM GEE!!!!! Save the Last Dance turns 20 years old today 😱😱😱😱😱!” Kerry wrote along with a throwback photo with co-stars Julia Stiles, Sean Patrick Thomas, and Garland Whitt on set of the 2001 movie.

“Playing Chenille changed my life,” Kerry continued. “I read that script and I felt like I KNEW her. At the time, I also knew the narrative that was being served in culture about who Black teen moms are.”

“And I knew that if done right, this was an opportunity to transform some stereotyped thinking and make this young woman REAL,” Kerry added. “And human. And deserving of love and attention. I loooooved being a part of this film This cast. This crew. So many ‘slammin’ memories! 😍😜”

Save the Last Dance follows the story of Sara (Stiles), a white Midwestern ballet dancer, who moves to Chicago to live with her estranged dad after her mom dies in a car accident. In Chicago, Sara finds herself an outcast while attending an all-Black school, before falling for Derek (Thomas) and befriending Chenille (Washington).

You can read Kerry Washington‘s message on Instagram here.