Jennifer Grey Was Worried Dirty Dancing Would Be a 'Glorified Porno' — Why She Said Yes Anyway

Dirty dancing may be a romance classic now, but Jennifer Gray actually had a lot of trepidation before she signed up.

In the episode of December 20 Chatting at the Hollywood Reporter Awards podcast hosted by Scott Feinberg, Gray talked about why she decided to star in the 1987 film despite some major fears.

“I remember being in my agent’s office and seeing the breakdown [and] saying: ‘I have to get this part,'” recalled Gray, 64. Part of her interest was because it was a “low-budget movie,” which was unusual at the time. The budget was only $4.5 million and Gray was paid $50,000.

Patrick Swayze (left) and Jennifer Gray in ‘Dirty Dancing’ 1987 Snap/Shutterstock

“And that was a little risky,” he said Real pain said the star. “It felt like a calling Dirty dancing. The sex scenes are described very explicitly and there is no money for me or for the film. Maybe it’s just glorified porn.”

But she was also excited about working with director Emile Ardolin, who was mostly a documentary filmmaker. “He was one of the reasons why the film worked, because of his sensibility,” she said. “I trusted his ability to see the truth.”

Grey, who was the first person chosen, was also afraid to act with Patrick Swayze. They previously appeared together in 1984 Red dawnand Gray felt that he had treated her badly.

Can you believe it Dirty dancing He turns 37 today? Check out the great Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Gray at the 1987 premiere

And Swayze agreed. Gray said in the podcast that the actor – who died in 2009 aged 57 – first came to dance with her, said: “I’m sorry. I know you don’t want me for this, and just know that I love you. I’ve always loved you.”

Jennifer Gray and Patrick Swayze perform the iconic move in ‘Dirty Dancing’ in 1987.

“And I said, ‘Okay. Whatever.’ And then somehow we cry and hug each other, and then we go inside and then we dance”, she recalled. “And I said, ‘Oh my God, it has to be him because no one else could lead and dance like that,’ and he was the perfect partner for me.” And so it was set: Gray was the brooding, introverted Baby, and Swayze was the sexy, emotional Johnny.

Filming the film itself was “tough” for Gray as she was in every scene and had never been the lead before. Now she was “starring in a low-budget movie where you have to dance, rehearse and shoot really fast. It was difficult and we had very bad weather.”

But, she said, “I’ve learned that very often, the more stressful it is and the less money you have and the less time you have, it creates a synergy that is very, very conducive to creating magic.”

Jennifer Gray 2024.

Manny Carabel/WireImage

In 2022, Gray published her memoir, From the corner. She opened up about her relationship with Swayze to PEOPLE at the time, explaining, “In the same way that Baby and Johnny weren’t meant to be together… a natural fit, right? And we weren’t a natural fit. And the fact that we were. It was meant to be a natural fit. a match that created tension, because usually when someone is not a natural, you… we both move on, but we were forced to be together and being forced to be together created a kind of synergistic friction.”

“Actually I just thought about Patrick,” she continued. “I feel like if I could say anything to him now, I would say, ‘I’m so sorry I couldn’t just appreciate and enjoy who you were, instead of wanting you to be more like what I wanted you to be. .’ ”

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Source: HIS Education