In 1987, Dirty Dancing was released, a film that will become a reference. It is also thanks to this ultra sensual film for the time that the actors Jennifer Gray and Patrick Swayze will become icons erected to the rank of superstar. In this Hollywood production, Jennifer Gray played the role of Frederique Houseman aka “Baby”, a 17-year-old girl from a wealthy American family. On the other side, Patrick Swayze embodied the character of Johnny Castle, a dance teacher who will allow him to know the pleasures of dance and much more.
If the film met with great success with spectators, in particular thanks to this cast of choice, the backstage was however less encouraging. Indeed, the two main actors of the film hated each other. In an interview with the Huffington Post, the film’s producer claimed that Patrick Swayze “felt like she was weak” while the actress “cried easily, she was emotional and he sort of got a little bit laughed at her”.
In his autobiography entitled The Time of My Life, a reference to one of the film’s flagship songs, Patrick Swayze did not mince words about his playing partner. “She seemed particularly emotional, sometimes bursting into tears if someone criticized her (…) Other times, she forced us to redo scenes again and again when she started laughing“. Jennifer Gray assured for her part that their relationship on the set was akin to “a marriage where you have two opposites. He could have done anything and I was afraid to do anything”, declared- her to Hollywood Reporter.
Disappeared from the radar, the star shot her last film in 2012 in the romantic comedy In Your Eyes. In 2019, she had a brief appearance in three episodes of the series Grey’s Anatomy. Planet invites you to discover what it looks like today.
