Mira Sorvino taps daughter Mattea for ‘DWTS’ routine set to ‘Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion’ song
“Most Memorable Year” night on “Dancing With the Stars” will be a family affair for Mira Sorvino.
The Oscar-winning actress and her pro partner, Gleb Savchenko, will be paying homage to one of her most famous movies, “Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion,” by dancing to Cyndi Lauper’s ���Time After Time.”
The dance duo exclusively revealed to Page Six that they’ll be joined by Sorvino’s 18-year-old daughter, Mattea Backus, when they hit the ballroom Tuesday night.
“It’s a contemporary dance. We have Mira’s daughter joining us for the dance and it’s gonna be a storytelling moment,” Savchenko teased of the highly anticipated routine.
Sorvino added that the performance is inspired by 2004, a year that holds extra special meaning to her and her family.
“It’s the year I got married [to actor Christopher Backus] and the year I became a mother,” gushed Sorvino, who is also mom to younger daughter Lucia and sons Johnny and Holden. “How my heart just like blew up … and my life changed for the better forever.”
Sorvino and Savchenko told Page Six that they’re not at all worried about bringing Mattea on board, as the teenager is a “really great” professionally trained dancer.
“She’s been dancing since she was two. She’s a choreographer and she dances with this great dance company, Sarabande at Tufts [University],” the “Mighty Aphrodite” star shared.
“She’s a far better dancer than me, so she’s gonna have no problem,” she joked. “Gleb’s gonna say, ‘Do that,’ and she’ll be like, ‘OK, great!’”
No word yet on whether Sorvino’s “Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion” co-star Lisa Kudrow will also make an appearance, but we’re crossing our fingers for any sort of “DWTS” cameo or shout-out.
As fans of the 1997 comedy film will recall, one of the most iconic scenes features BFFs Romy White (Sorvino) and Michele Weinberger (Kudrow) performing an interpretive dance to the classic Lauper hit in metallic blue and pink dresses at their class reunion.
The scene also includes unpopular geek-turned-billionaire Sandy Frink (Alan Cumming) reuniting with Michele, whom he had a massive crush on back in high school. The wealthy businessman at one point asks Michele to dance with him. She agrees – but only if Romy can join them.
“I had no idea whether I was even going to keep a dance sequence in the movie because it didn’t have a meaning to me. And for 1997, the concept was considered peculiar,” film director David Mirkin admitted in a 2017 interview with Bustle.
“When you do something different and strange like that, there’s going to be a lot of people who react very negatively to it initially,” he recalled. “Over time, people were surprised at how they could appreciate how silly [and] funny it was … it’s not so over-the-top perfect, but it has a level of skill that’s hilarious.”
Sorvino’s contemporary routine will follow her breathtaking “Cinderella”-inspired waltz to “A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes,” which received a combined score of 21/30 from judges Derek Hough, Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli.
“I actually felt transported, like I believed in the moment,” she told Page Six of having her “Cinderella” moment during the “Disney100 Night” show. “I was literally living the dream.”
Savchenko echoed that sentiment, telling us, “Time stopped for a second. It was awesome to choreograph that dance and I thought the style really suited Mira. It was so elegant and classy.”
“Dancing With the Stars,” which also features celebs like Harry Jowsey, Charity Lawson and Alyson Hannigan competing for the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy, airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on ABC and Disney+.
