Jennifer Grey Opens Up About How 'Dirty Dancing' Sequel Will Work Without Patrick Swayze

Oct 19, 2022 by apost team

"Dirty Dancing" was one of the biggest surprise film hits of the 1980s, and it catapulted its two stars — Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey — into the limelight. But while Swayze went on to have an illustrious career after, Grey receded from the spotlight. The film's incredible success was unexpected, which made their instant fame trickier to navigate. Regardless, the movie lives on as one of Hollywood's standout hits from the '80s and continues to be a fan favorite. 

The movie propelled Swayze to fame, who continued his meteoric rise when he starred in other classics of the era, including "Road House," "Ghost" and "Point Break." He became a household name and one of Hollywood's leading heartthrobs. He continued to work all through the 1990s and 2000s until, sadly, he passed away from liver cancer in 2009. 

Meanwhile, Grey left the spotlight in the decade following the film's release. She didn't open up about why that was the case until much later. More than three decades after "Dirty Dancing" came out, Grey opened up about a tragic car accident that changed the course of her life. She took the time she needed to heal and find her passion for acting again, and she did eventually get back out in the spotlight.

After a long pause, Grey was ready and picked up her career again. In recent years she's made a comeback after she appeared on "Dancing With the Stars," which she won. Now, she's continued to act on television. Over 35 years after the release of “Dirty Dancing,” a new script has been written for a sequel. However, Grey has said that it could never be the same without Swayze. 

In an exclusive interview with People in 2022, Grey opened up about the pair's honest chemistry. 

"The same way Baby and Johnny were not supposed to be together … a natural match, right? And we weren't a natural match," Grey said. 

"And the fact that we needed to be a natural match created a tension. Because normally when someone's not a natural, you … both people move on, but we were forced to be together. And our being forced to be together created a kind of a synergy, or like a friction," she added.

Grey also mentioned that not only was there no chemistry, but both stars also had significant others. "And the weird thing was, it's like, 'What's wrong with me?' I mean, I was not lacking. And he was married. And very in love with his wife. Whatever he was doing, I was not … I was very busy with Matthew. Like, what could be more different?"

However, Grey said she still has fond memories of working together. "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," she said. 

In May of 2022, during a sitdown interview with Drew Barrymore on “The Drew Barrymore Show,” Grey confirmed that there would be a “Dirty Dancing” sequel taking place in the same setting as the original. In May 2022, more insight into the development of the sequel surfaced. 

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The new “Dirty Dancing” movie is being directed by Jonathan Levine, who counts “50/50” and “Warm Bodies” among his credits. He said he was initially approached to write the script before talk of helming the film fell in his lap.

“While the original ‘Dirty Dancing’ has always been one of my favorite films, I never imagined I would direct the sequel. Through co-writing it, I fell in love with the characters (new and old), the world of 1990s Catskills New York, and the music, which will range from songs from the original movie to ‘90s hip-hop,” Levine told Deadline in May 2022.

Levine added to the outlet he was aware of the sensitivity surrounding the project, considering what a classic of cinema the original had become.

“I can’t wait to collaborate with Jennifer to bring this beautiful story of summer and romance and dancing to a generation of new fans. And to the longtime ones, I promise we will not ruin your childhood. We will tackle the assignment with sophistication, ambition and, above all, love.”

Produced by Lionsgate, the film is reportedly in production and casting is underway, in time for a 2024 release. It is believed the cast will comprise newcomers and established actors while Grey may not be the only member of the original cast to return.

“We are about to talk to people and are exploring that,” Levine hinted. “The most important thing for us was having Jennifer on board. She is an invaluable collaborator. We’re going to try to involve as many people from the original as is appropriate. We want to be respectful in every way.”

Speaking to Entertainment Weekly in August 2022, Grey revealed details on the project that fans have been waiting decades to hear. However, the star also revealed that she couldn’t say too much. “I can't tell you much, sadly, but I will tell you that it will involve Baby. It will involve Kellerman's. There will be music. Unless there's a lot of CGI, Baby's going to be a little older,” she said. 

Grey also revealed that fans can expect the same beautiful setting as the original film: “It's going to be Kellerman's, music, dancing, love story, romance. I'm just so super committed and invested in making it a fresh (take). What happened happened, and that will never happen again.” 

With the world falling in love with the iconic duo of Baby and Johnny, Grey admitted that there will never be another Johnny. “There will never be another Johnny. There will never be another Patrick. This sequel has got to be its own standalone piece. It's very tricky,” she admitted. 

The star also shared that the sequel is already in the works, and fans can expect the film sooner rather than later. “Oh, yeah. There's a script, we're working on the script. We're going to shoot it in the spring of 2023, and it comes out on Feb. 9, 2024. So, I guess it's happening!”

Despite being known for her role in the original, Grey shared that she never gets tired of talking about it. “Because there are so many layers to this movie. There is so much goodness under what feels like a fluffy rom-com fairytale. There is so much depth in the structure of the characters, and the relevance to what's going on right now.”

Are you excited to see the sequel to “Dirty Dancing?” We cannot wait to see this iconic film come to life again! If you are a huge “Dirty Dancing” fan — send this article on to other fans too!