Dirty Dancing It is one of the most beloved movies of all time. The 1987 romantic drama starring Patrick Swayze (Johnny Castle) and Jennifer Gray (Frances “Baby” Houseman) tells the story of a young woman who falls in love with a camp instructor while on vacation in Catskills with her family.
Fans obsess over every part of Dirty Dancing, from the choreography to the classic tale of forbidden love. But one thing viewers may not realize is that Swayze and Gray didn’t get along on set. That tension you see between Johnny and Baby is not acting, it is a real irritation.
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Jennifer Gray and Patrick Swayze worked together before ‘Dirty Dancing’
Before partnering for Dirty Dancing, Swayze and Gray met on the set of another Hollywood movie, Red Dawn. Apparently, their tumultuous relationship began then.
Part of that came from age and part was from opposing personality types. Gray was eight years younger than Swayze and took a unique approach to acting.
“It felt like she was a coward” Dirty Dancing Producer Linda Gottlieb told the Huffington Post.
“She was genuine, naive; She would take it eight times and Jennifer would do it differently each time. Patrick was a professional; he would deliver the same thing over and over again. She would cry easily, she was excited and he teased her. She was a macho boy. “
Jennifer Gray admitted she was less confident than her co-star
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Gray revealed exactly what it was like to work with Swayze. In addition to saying he “smelled really good” and had great skin, the actor said the two had to overcome differences on set.
“It was our second movie that we had done together in a short time,” he explained. “We did it Red Dawn First and then Dirty Dancing. He was a great dancer and was not afraid. “
She continued: “Your bravery with my fear … together was like a marriage where you have two opposites. I would do anything and I would be afraid to do anything.”
Swayze spoke about his frustration with Gray in his autobiography.
The tension between Johnny and Baby is real. Swayze, who died in 2009, wrote about how difficult it was to work with Gray on Dirty Dancing in his autobiography, Time of my life.
“She seemed particularly emotional, sometimes bursting into tears if someone criticized her,” Swayze wrote in her book, Telegraph reported.
“Other times, he was in a silly mood, forcing us to do scenes over and over again when he laughed.”
The actor wrote that “he didn’t have much patience to do multiple reps.”
Her tension made ‘Dirty Dancing’ memorable
But ultimately, their tumultuous relationship in real life led to crazy chemistry on screen. Choreographer Kenny Ortega insisted that his animosity worked to his advantage.
“They both brought a lot every day,” Ortega said, according to The Delite. “Sometimes it was conflict; Sometimes it was love. There was something between the two of them that was inexplicable. They were human fireworks.
Irritation or not, it is impossible to imagine anyone other than Swayze and Gray in these classic movie roles.
