With an ‘80s movie as iconic as Dirty Dancing, there was no way that it could just stay a dance movie that once played in theaters in 1987 and nothing else. We got a stage adaptation, a failed television series, a prequel and a critically-panned remake helmed by High School Musical’s Danny Ortega. After questions continued to ponder if a Dirty Dancing sequel was happening, we’ll have the chance to see “original” characters like Baby returning in Dirty Dancing 2, with Jennifer Grey sharing new details about what to expect.
Baby may have been in the corner since we last saw her in 1987, but audiences today will get to see her work her dancing magic again. A couple of years ago, it was officially confirmed that a sequel to Dirty Dancing was in the works. While speaking with Extra, Jennifer Grey spoke about what we can be excited about for the new movie:
I would say that you can count on it being at Kellerman’s, returning to Kellerman’s, and Baby [is] quite a few years older. You will see other characters that are from the original [movie]. It’s tricky and also exciting.
Of course it can’t be Dirty Dancing without the Kellermans! This upscaled Catskills resort provided the perfect dance floor where Jennifer Grey displayed her iconic lift during the legendary final performance. Don’t be fooled by the 62-year-old actress saying Baby will be “quite a few years older” and thinking anyone else will be reprising the main protagonist. She will still be played by Grey herself, where she can show audiences she’s still got the moves. After all, Grey wowed audiences when she and Derek Hough won Season 11 of Dancing with the Stars.
Other than the Dirty Dancing sequel, Jennifer Grey recently published a memoir called Out of the Corner about her times in Hollywood. She refused to hold back on previous scandalous relationships she was involved in, as well as her unrecognizable nose jobs that made it hard for her to get work. Some Dirty Dancing secrets she dished on were refusing to do her impressive lift with co-star Patrick Swayze until the day of filming. She was terrified of trying that stunt on her own, and can you blame her? Grey also opened up about her then-boyfriend Matthew Broderick not having faith in her landing her most well-known role in the movie. With her being a newbie in the industry and Broderick having a few memorable roles of his own at the time, evidently there was jealousy and hostility between the two.
Dirty Dancing 2 has not begun filming yet, according to Grey. While we already know our female protagonist is a lock, it’s still up in the air who will be her dancing partner. Unfortunately, the male lead will not be played by the great Patrick Swayze, as he passed away at the age of 57 from pancreatic cancer in 2009. The Ferris Bueller’s Day Off actress admitted that this upcoming sequel would be “very tricky” without him. As she said, there will never be another Johnny. Whoever will be dancing with Baby the second time around will have to be someone who had the same spot-on chemistry as she had with Swayze. After all, dancing is about communication through movement. It can either make or break the success of this sequel.
Based on the new details that Jennifer Grey provided, we can expect some serious nostalgia to come into play. Do you think she will attempt to do that infamous lift again? That would be impressive. This upcoming movie has the potential to bring in audiences from before and today together to see this talented actress make her big screen comeback playing the role that made audiences fall in love with her in the first place.