Jennifer Grey, the actress who portrayed “Baby” in the adored film Dirty Dancing, was predicted to experience a major increase in her professional opportunities.
But it was not to be. Rather, a horrific mishap altered everything and made her permanently give up on the film business.
After many years, sixty-two-year-old Jennifer Grey finally talked about the horrific time in her life that left her deeply traumatized.
It’s a low-budget film with no well-known stars or director.
When Dirty Dancing debuted in theaters in August 1987, however, the producers and cast knew they had achieved something quite special.
Patrick Swayze, the main actor, became successful very quickly. Before making appearances in high-profile movies like Ghost and Donnie Darko, he rose to fame as a young hero and sex icon.
However, Jennifer Grey, his co-star, wasn’t feeling well when the film originally came out, so she quickly vanished from view. Jennifer Grey was gone as swiftly as she had been, lost in the thick of the mayhem and festivities.
The actress also took a significant break from the spotlight for a while.
Nevertheless, she described the accident that altered her life in great detail in a recent interview with People Magazine.
Let’s first examine Jennifer Grey’s life before to the terrible incident that transpired in the summer of 1987.
Jennifer Gray enrolled in dance instruction from an early age. When she was born in New York in 1960, her father probably encouraged her to pursue a career in entertainment. Joel Gray, her father, worked as a director, dancer, singer, actor, and photographer.
Jennifer studied acting and dancing at the Dalton School. She started looking for acting gigs after graduating in 1978 and continued her education at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theater. However, her life was not a rose-colored dance. In order to pay her debts, Jennifer had to work as a waitress.
Nevertheless, she was able to secure a few TV spots, one of which was for Dr. Pepper. Her debut in a motion picture was in “Reckless,” released in 1984. A few years later, she starred as Frances “Baby” Houseman in “Dirty Dancing,” which was an amazing breakthrough role.
The story of the beloved movie is based on the early years of screenwriter Eleanor Bergstein. Jennifer gained notoriety quickly and was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actress.
Sad occurrence
Sadly, she was never able to take pleasure in the huge success.
Grey was living in Ireland with her then-boyfriend Matthew Broderick prior to the film’s August 1987 release.
However, Broderick was traveling on the incorrect side of the road when he collided with another vehicle, resulting in a terrifying collision for both of them. When they were in the other automobile, a mom and her daughter were instantaneously slain.
Broderick’s allegations of reckless driving were eventually dropped. Jennifer Grey, on the other hand, only had minor abrasions and bruises, but her psychological wounds persisted.
The premiere of Dirty Dancing took place a few days later. Still, Grey was not allowed to partake in the movie’s success.
It just didn’t feel right to be hailed as the next big thing in the midst of such intense grief and survivor’s guilt. According to the Daily Mirror, Grey reportedly remarked, “It didn’t feel good to be the toast of the town.”
The actress’s pain from the mishap won’t go away completely.
She said to People, “My head and my ambition were never the same.”
The worst nose job ever
She vanished for a spell in the early 1990s due to her battle with survivor’s guilt, but she made a comeback in a single Friends episode in 1995.
She had had plastic surgery by then, and the change to her face was dramatic.
In 2012, she declared, “I came into the operating room as a celebrity and I left anonymous.”
It felt similar to being in hiding or protected under witness protection. I’ve never seen a worse nose job. Because of a nose job, I’ll always be this once-famous actress who no one knows about.
After that, Jennifer’s Hollywood career was inconsistent.
Jennifer had successfully returned to the mainstream media by 2010. After winning “Dancing with the Stars,” she was popular with the public once more. That was something essential to her, she stated.
I feel as though I’ve starved myself to appease people’s possible opinions of me. The actor told People, “This is like having a delicious steak after 23 years on a diet.”
2018 saw Grey make yet another move toward the spotlight that she had previously shied away from. She’s slated to feature in the comedy Red Oaks and the upcoming film Untogether.
We’re so glad to see you back to your passionate, joyful self, Jennifer!
Right now, who else feels the desperate need to travel back in time to 1987? Below, you can watch the iconic moment from Dirty Dancing. What lovely recollections!
Kindly let your friends know about this news on Facebook. They most likely watched Dirty Dancing and wondered what happened to the stunning Jennifer Grey, just as I did!
