Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey Didn’t Get Along Before ‘Dirty Dancing’
Dirty Dancing is one of the most iconic movies ever to come out of the ’80s. The romantic drama came out of nowhere to dominate the pop culture scene, earning positive reviews and inspiring millions of fans. Decades later, Dirty Dancing remains popular with fans of all ages. The story behind the making of the film is at least as interesting as the movie itself, with many urban legends springing up over the years. The most notorious rumor of all was the story that the film’s stars, Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey, couldn’t stand working with each other. In the years following the film’s release, both actors dished on their behind-the-scenes tension.
‘Dirty Dancing’ was released in 1987
Dirty Dancing, released in 1987, told the story of a young woman named Frances “Baby” Houseman, who goes on vacation at a resort with her controlling parents. At the resort, Baby becomes involved with a charming dance instructor named Johnny. While Johnny doesn’t measure up to the expectations of her parents, Baby falls hard for him, and by the end of the film, no one can deny their chemistry.
According to IMDb, Dirty Dancing became an instant success upon its release, becoming the first movie to sell more than a million copies for home video. The movie ultimately spawned a 2004 prequel, a stage show, and a made-for-television remake. But nothing has ever equaled the popularity of the original flick, which remains a beloved classic to this day.
Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey reportedly didn’t get along while filming ‘Dirty Dancing’
The stars of the film, Patrick Swayze, who played Johnny, and Jennifer Grey, who portrayed the innocent Baby, only became more popular after the release of Dirty Dancing. They became closely associated with the characters that they played. But behind the scenes, their tension was notorious. Swayze and Grey had actually worked together prior to Dirty Dancing, in the 1984 action movie Red Dawn.
However, it was Dirty Dancing that really tested their working relationship. According to BuzzFeed, Swayze grew frustrated with Grey on set due to what he perceived as a difference in maturity. This difference in personality led to some tension — a tension that became evident to everyone who worked on the film.
Years later, in his autobiography, Swayze would write, according to Telegraph, “She seemed particularly emotional, sometimes bursting into tears if someone criticized her…Other times, she slipped into silly moods, forcing us to do scenes over and over again when she’d start laughing.”
What did Jennifer Grey later say about working with Patrick Swayze?
As for Grey, she would later tell The Hollywood Reporter that she and Swayze got off on the wrong foot from the start, noting “His fearlessness with my fearfulness … together was like a marriage where you have two opposites. He’d do anything, and I’d be scared to do anything.”
In spite of the obvious tension, Grey felt that their combative attitude actually helped the film. “Our being forced to be together created a kind of a synergy, or like a friction,” she told People. “I actually just had a thought about Patrick. I feel like if I could say anything to him now I would say, ‘I’m so sorry that I couldn’t just appreciate and luxuriate in who you were, instead of me wishing you were more like what I wanted you to be’.”
Swayze died in 2009 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. As for Grey, she remains a working actor, appearing in a wide variety of projects, from comedies to dramas. To many fans, however, she will forever and always be Baby from Dirty Dancing.
