Life After Fame: What Ruined Dirty Dancing Star's Film Career
Life After Fame: What Ruined Dirty Dancing Star's Film Career

Video: Life After Fame: What Ruined Dirty Dancing Star's Film Career

Video: Life After Fame: What Ruined Dirty Dancing Star's Film Career
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The name Jennifer Gray hardly speaks to modern viewers, but the film that made her famous has probably been seen by everyone - it's Dirty Dancing. Then her talent and beauty were admired by millions of viewers all over the world, but she did not seem ideal to herself. She decided to take a risky step, which, in her opinion, brought her closer to perfection. Today she really looks very good, but she had to sacrifice too much to beauty …

Jennifer Gray in her youth
Jennifer Gray in her youth

Jennifer Gray's career was predetermined from birth - her grandfather was a comedian and musician, her father was a theater and film actor, and her mother was a singer. Since childhood, Jennifer has been dancing and studying acting at the Dalton School in Manhattan. At the age of 17, she began acting in commercials, and at the age of 24 she made her debut in a feature film.

Jennifer Gray in her youth
Jennifer Gray in her youth

When Jennifer Gray was 26 years old, she was talked about as a promising actress, after the movie Ferris Bueller's Day Off, which became a cult school comedy of the 1980s, was released. But the real popularity fell on her a year later, when she got the lead role in the melodrama "Dirty Dancing".

Jennifer Gray and Patrick Swayze in Dirty Dancing, 1987
Jennifer Gray and Patrick Swayze in Dirty Dancing, 1987
Stills from the film Dirty Dancing, 1987
Stills from the film Dirty Dancing, 1987

Patrick Swayze was the first and only candidate for the lead male role. When screenwriter and producer Eleanor Bergsteen first saw him, she knew he was the perfect candidate for the role of Johnny, even though the character was 10 years younger than the 35-year-old actor in the script. But she imagined Baby in a completely different way - a young, fragile, dark-haired girl. But when she saw 27-year-old Jennifer Gray at the casting, Elinor changed her mind - the girl was very touching and plastic.

Jennifer Gray in Dirty Dancing, 1987
Jennifer Gray in Dirty Dancing, 1987
Jennifer Gray and Patrick Swayze in Dirty Dancing, 1987
Jennifer Gray and Patrick Swayze in Dirty Dancing, 1987

It was hard on the set of Jennifer - their relationship with Patrick Swayze did not work out right away, the partner spoke unflatteringly about the girl's acting abilities. But they managed to leave their dissatisfaction with each other behind the scenes - on the screens they looked like a perfect couple. The audience did not know that after filming an incredibly beautiful scene with "support" in the lake, the actress was hospitalized with hypothermia - this episode was filmed in the fall, and the water was icy. But all the torment was not in vain: Dirty Dancing, with a budget of $ 6 million, grossed more than 200 million worldwide, Jennifer Gray was nominated for a Golden Globe, and the film was also awarded an Oscar in the Best Song nomination. for the song “I've Had the Time of My Life”.

Jennifer Gray in Dirty Dancing, 1987
Jennifer Gray in Dirty Dancing, 1987
Jennifer Gray and Patrick Swayze
Jennifer Gray and Patrick Swayze

After that, Jennifer Gray became incredibly popular. The whole world admired her heroine, and the actress herself was not delighted with how she looked on the screens - it seemed to her that she had a very unfortunate nose shape. And she decided on plastic surgery - rhinoplasty. The actress achieved the desired result, but the operation could not be called successful - after that her appearance changed beyond recognition, although the shape of her nose was now ideal by Hollywood standards.

Jennifer Gray before and after plastic surgery
Jennifer Gray before and after plastic surgery

The pursuit of excellence played a cruel joke on Jennifer. As the saying goes, the best is the enemy of the good. The world famous actress suddenly became unrecognizable to millions of viewers and lost her personality and charm. The directors stopped inviting her to new projects, the producers broke contracts with her. Since then, she has starred only in very mediocre television series and subtle films.

Jennifer Gray before and after plastic surgery
Jennifer Gray before and after plastic surgery
An actress who has changed beyond recognition
An actress who has changed beyond recognition

Unfortunately, the realization that she made an irreparable mistake came to her too late - nothing could be returned. She even considered taking on a new name. In 2012, in an interview, Jennifer Gray admitted: "".

An actress who has changed beyond recognition
An actress who has changed beyond recognition

Jennifer Gray did not abandon her acting career and agreed to the roles that she was offered, although these were mostly episodes and supporting roles. In addition, she participated in television projects - for example, in 2010 she, together with Derek Hough, became the winner of the 11th season of the show "Dancing with the Stars".

Jennifer Gray and Derek Hough in Dancing with the Stars, 2010
Jennifer Gray and Derek Hough in Dancing with the Stars, 2010

In 2016, Jennifer Gray turned down an offer to star in the sequel to Dirty Dancing. She explained her decision as follows: "".

Actress with family in 2019
Actress with family in 2019

Years later, all the grievances against Patrick Swayze passed, and the news of his death from cancer in 2009 was a real shock for the actress. All misunderstandings were forgotten, and she had the warmest memories of those times: "".

Jennifer Gray and Clark Gregg
Jennifer Gray and Clark Gregg

Until now, the actress calls that operation the biggest mistake in her life, although today she is quite happy with the way her fate developed. In 2001, Jennifer Gray married actor Clark Gregg, and the same year they had a daughter, Stella. Unlike many acting families, their union turned out to be surprisingly strong and happy. At 59, Jennifer still looks good and continues to act in films. True, no longer hoping for the former success …

An actress who has changed beyond recognition
An actress who has changed beyond recognition

And this film is still incredibly popular with viewers: How the cult melodrama Dirty Dancing was filmed.

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