Dirty Dancing is a cult classic and it gave Jennifer Gray the most memorable role of her lifetime, Baby. However, at the time the actress felt the role was too explicit and “risky”. During her appearance on The Hollywood Reporter Awards Chatter podcast on December 20, the actress recalled the process of getting the role.
“I remember being in my agent’s office and seeing Breakdown (and) saying, ‘I have to get this part,'” she said. Gray described the film as a low-budget film, which was not common at the time. Nevertheless, the Red Dawn actress signed on for the film, which had a budget of $4.5 million and paid her between $50,000 and $100,000.
“And it was a little risky,” he said of the film. “The sex scenes are clearly described, and there is no money for me or the film. Maybe it’s just a glorified porno,” Gray said. After he was finalized to play the role of Francis “Baby” Houseman, the quest to find his Johnny Castle began.
Patrick Swayze eventually got the role and became one of Hollywood’s biggest heartthrobs. The film revolves around Baby who comes to spend the summer with her family at a Catskills resort and her love story with Johnny (Swayze), the camp’s dance instructor. Gray recalled that it was the Ghost actor’s impeccable dancing skills that won him the role.
However, having previously worked with him in Red Dawn, the actress was initially against Swayze being cast as her on-screen girlfriend. “I know everything about that guy,” she said at the time. He claimed that the actor would play pranks and display masculinity during filming.
She told the filmmakers, “I can’t afford to be with someone who will hurt me, who won’t be someone I can trust to be serious or professional,” but eventually they convinced him, and Thank God for this!
She revealed that Swayze apologized to her for his past behavior and said that he wanted to play the role. “And then we’re both crying and hugging, and then we come in and then we dance,” Gray said on the podcast. And after they danced, she knew he was “the perfect partner” for her in the film.
