Dirty Dancing Star Didn't Want To Work With Patrick Swayze
Dirty Dancing star Jennifer Grey says that she initially didn’t want to work with Patrick Swayze. In the years that have followed since Dirty Dancing’s 1987 release, the film has been referenced in countless numbers of other films, including Uncle Buck, Crazy, Stupid, Love, and This Is the End. Despite its immense popularity, however, a 2004 sequel failed to find success, as did a short-lived TV series.
The film follows a somewhat basic premise in which bored teen Baby (Grey) discovers an exciting world of dancing and romance while on summer vacation with her well-to-do parents at a rustic resort in upstate New York. Baby falls for Johnny Castle (Swayze), the resort’s no-nonsense dance instructor, who introduces her to a way of life that she scarcely knew existed. But within this new reality, Baby begins to see just how blind her privilege has made her to life’s often harsh truths. The result is a movie that captured audiences' hearts with drama, romance, sorrow, and plenty of dancing. Swayze’s death in 2009 has made the film even more important to fans, but his ideal pairing with Grey wasn’t initially so perfect.
Related: Why Patrick Swayze Declined Road House 2 (& How It Killed His Character)
As reported by The Independent, during a recent appearance on The View, Grey reveals that she originally didn’t want to work with Swayze on Dirty Dancing. The two had previously worked together on the 1984 Red Dawn, an experience that turned Grey off of ever working with Swayze again, due to his off-camera behavior. Citing Swayze’s “macho” attitude as one of the aspects that irritated her about the late star, Grey says he knew she didn't want him for the movie, and she took some convincing during rehearsals:
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