Patrick Swayze’s Wife Reveals He Would Have Turned Down Role In ‘Dirty Dancing’ Sequel

Aug 24, 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. Now, 35 years on, a sequel is in the works, something Swayze’s wife said he would not have chosen to be a part of if he was still alive.

Born in Houston, Texas, on Aug. 18, 1952, Swayze started his career in dance, pursuing formal training at the Harkness Ballet and Joffrey Ballet schools. He would pivot to acting and began attracting attention after starring in 1983’s “The Outsiders” alongside Tom Cruise, Matt Dillon and Diane Lane. That attention would combust into full-blown adoration after his turn as Johnny Castle in “Dirty Dancing.” 

He went on to cement his status as a major Hollywood heartthrob and A-list star with classics such as “Road House,” “Ghost” and “Point Break.” “Ghost,” in which he starred alongside Demi Moore, was a top-notch hit, becoming the highest-grossing film in 1990. It also seemed like most of Swayze’s movies included scenes that have become part of the cultural narrative: the lift in “Dirty Dancing,” the pottery wheel scene in “Ghost” and the shooting into the air scene in “Point Break.” All of these have been recreated in countless films and television shows, notably the lift by Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling in “Crazy Stupid Love.” Swayze’s contribution to cinema and entertainment has been deep and lasting, which makes his untimely passing all the more tragic. 

Swayze met his future wife, Lisa Niemi, when they were still teenagers. They married in 1975 when Niemi was 19 and Swayze was 23 and remained together for 34 years until his death in 2009 from pancreatic cancer. 

Niemi penned a memoir in 2012 titled “Worth Fighting For.” Daily Mail cited Niemi’s story where she talked about Swayze’s last words before he slipped into a coma. “My last words to Patrick? ‘I love you,’ and those were his last words to me. After I brought him home, things went very fast,” Niemi wrote. 

It was a Monday morning when Niemi woke up to hear him taking tiny gasps of air. She said that there was an almost childlike feeling about what was happening. She knew that it was his time to go. He slipped away that very day.

Niemi told Entertainment Tonight in August 2019 how awful it was to watch her husband fight cancer.

“It’s the worst thing in the world to go through, you spend every day fighting for that person’s life. I know that he spent every day fighting for his own ... He survived 22 months, which was miraculous with the diagnosis that he received.”

And 13 years after his passing, Niemi still remembers her husband fondly.

“It’s very strange to have someone so far away and yet have them still so incredibly close in your heart,” said Niemi, now 66.

“I don’t think there’s anything I don’t miss about him. It’s all the little things, his laugh, the sound of his voice. I feel like he’s with me every day, but, of course, it’d be nice to have him physically in the room,” she continued. “But, I tell you what, we had a great ride and there’s so much to be grateful for.”

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Niemi shared with ET her thoughts on the upcoming “Dirty Dancing” sequel, in which Grey, who played Frances “Baby” Houseman in the original, is set to reprise her role. 

“Absolutely he would not do it again,” Niemi said, adding, “unless it was absolutely perfect.”

“Patrick had a high standard and he wasn’t gonna do it just for the money,” she added. This is corroborated by the fact that when Swayze was offered $6 million for a sequel while he was still alive, he turned it down.

Niemi went on to comment on the upcoming sequel, saying she didn’t think they “could ever absolutely duplicate” the original, but she was optimistic nevertheless.

“I think you always have to start fresh, but if they’re going to do it, I hope it’s the absolute best and it has its own character, and personality, and source of inspiration.” 

Meanwhile, Grey, who may come on board the sequel as an executive producer as well, said they would not be looking to replicate the original.

“To make a movie without Patrick is already an enormous challenge,” Grey told ET. “It will never be that movie and it should never try to be that movie.”

She had earlier told Entertainment Weekly, “What happened happened, and that will never happen again. There will never be another Johnny. There will never be another Patrick.”

Meanwhile, Jonathan Levine will direct the sequel, set for a February 2024 release. There’s no word yet on the plot of the movie, but Levine has revealed it will feature music from the original film as well as ‘90s hip hop. The filmmakers are also in discussion with Swayze’s family in a bid to incorporate his presence in the movie in some manner.

Are you a “Dirty Dancing” fan? Do you think a sequel without Patrick Swayze in it is a good idea? Let us know, and be sure to pass this on to all the movie buffs you know.