‘Dirty Dancing’ Star Jennifer Grey Was Relieved She Could Let Her ‘Darker Freak Flag Fly’
Jennifer Grey is best known for starring in the 1987 movie Dirty Dancing. She says there was a moment during her career when she was relieved to be able to fly her “darker freak flag.” Here’s what she meant by that.
Jennifer Grey’s movies and TV shows
One of Grey’s first acting roles was in the 1984 film Reckless, in which she played the character Cathy Bennario. That same year, Grey appeared in Red Dawn alongside Patrick Swayze.
Grey became a household name after starring in Ferris Bueler’s Day Off in 1986 alongside ex-fiancé Matthew Broderick. After appearing in an episode of The Equalizer (titled “A Community of Civilized Men”), she starred in her next big film, Dirty Dancing. This film reunited her with Swayze and turned out to be her biggest hit.
Some of Grey’s other acting roles include appearances in Bloodhounds of Broadway, Murder in Mississippi, Friends, Bounce, Phineas and Ferb, Red Oak, and Grey’s Anatomy. Grey is set to reprise her role as Baby Houseman in a Dirty Dancing sequel next year.
Jennifer Grey says she could let her ‘darker freak flag fly’
In her memoir Out of the Corner, Grey writes about her experiences on the set of Dirty Dancing as well as her career and personal life. She expressed relief after being able to let her “darker freak flag fly” while filming Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.
As Jeanie Bueller, Ferris’ older sister, Grey says she was required to play a “prickly” character. Jeanie was a rebel who didn’t respect authority figures. She did what she wanted, when she wanted.
Grey says it felt good to play a character that she would be discouraged from acting like in real life. She loved exploring the “more shadowy side” of her personality. “It was a relief to be given utter permission to let my darker freak flag fly,” says Grey in her book. “It was sheer bliss.”
Jennifer Grey and Matthew Broderick began dating during ‘Ferris Bueller’
Grey and Broderick became an item during the filming of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. She says when she first met Broderick, he didn’t act like a typical Hollywood actor. Instead, he reminded her more of a “grumpy grandpa.”
Grey also says Broderick didn’t look like someone who was at the height of their entertainment career. According to Grey, Broderick looked like he had just “rolled out of bed.”
Grey says it took her by surprise that she became attracted to Broderick. They soon began dating, fell in love, and became engaged. Grey says she instantly felt close to Broderick because they had so much in common. They were both Jewish, actors, New Yorkers, and they had parents who were also actors.
Grey felt like she and Broderick were truly meant to be. In her book, she refers to him as “my guy.” Unfortunately, things didn’t go the way Grey planned. She suspected Broderick had been cheating on her, so she ended the engagement. Grey was engaged to Johnny Depp later that month.
RELATED: ‘Dirty Dancing’ Star Jennifer Grey Says Matthew Broderick Often Left Her in Tears at a Restaurant
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