Jennifer Grey Regrets Not Reprising the Role of Mindy on ‘Friends’
Jennifer Grey is best known for playing Frances ‘Baby’ Houseman in Dirty Dancing. The movie, a classic coming-of-age story, is consistently listed on “must-watch” movie lists decades after its release. Grey had another memorable role, despite it being brief. She took on the part of Mindy Hunter, Rachel Green’s best friend, on Friends. Grey appeared in just one episode before another actor replaced her. Mindy never physically appeared again. For years, fans didn’t understand why a new actor was brought in to play Mindy in the season 2 finale of the series. Theories about work commitments and contracts have floated around from time to time. Now, Grey is setting the record straight. She didn’t reprise her role as Mindy in Friends because of anxiety. Years later, she seems to regret it. In a recent interview, she noted that it makes her “sad” to think about it.
Jennifer Grey says her decision not to continue with ‘Friends’ makes her sad now
Jennifer Grey made her decision to walk away from the role of Mindy on Friends because of performance anxiety. Many years after she last appeared in the series, she regrets the decision. During an exclusive interview with MediaVillage, Grey said it makes her “sad” that anxiety would have led her to pass on a show like Friends.
It wasn’t the only opportunity that she passed on because of anxiety. Grey revealed that she turned down the chance to appear on Saturday Night Live because she was too scared to do it. Grey has worked consistently in the years since she appeared as Mindy on Friends but revealed it took work to get to a point where she wasn’t too afraid to say yes to projects that took her out of her comfort zone.
Grey competed on Dancing with the Stars in 2010. She is also planning on reprising her most famous role soon. The famed actor is attached to an upcoming Dirty Dancing sequel. According to Deadline, she will reprise her role as Frances ‘Baby’ Houseman.
‘Friends’ fans largely preferred Grey’s version of Mindy
After Grey’s revelation, Friends fans visited Reddit to discuss the news. Several fans noted that they much preferred Grey’s rendition of Mindy. Jana Marie Hupp replaced Grey as Mindy in just one episode of Friends before the character mostly disappeared. Still, fans note that Hupp was largely forgettable in the part. Ross and Rachel were the most memorable part of the episode that chronicled Barry and Mindy’s wedding.
We can’t help but wonder if the role would have been more extensive if Grey had signed on to appear as Mindy Hunter-Farber for a bit longer. After all, the character was mentioned in season 6. In the episode, Rachel runs into Central Perk to tell her friends that Barry and Mindy were divorcing. The nugget gossip set the entire tone for the episode. It would have been interesting to see Mindy find her way as a single adult following her divorce, much like Rachel did after running out on her wedding.
