Have you ever stopped and asked, “whatever happened to Jennifer Grey?”
She had memorable roles in two iconic 1980s movies: Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and, most especially, Dirty Dancing. Based on the success of these movies, it seemed like she was poised to dominate Hollywood. However, not long after that, she seemingly dropped off the face of the planet.
What happened to Jennifer Grey, and what has she been up to lately? Keep reading to learn about the highs and lows of Grey’s life and the plastic surgery that nearly destroyed her career.
A career years in the making
In many ways, you could say that Jennifer Grey was destined to be an actor. From a young age, she took dance lessons. She was likely inspired by her family. Joel Gray, her father, was an actor, director, dancer, singer, and even a photographer!
In other words, Hollywood ran in Grey’s blood. And she would later refine her talents by studying both acting and dancing at the Dalton School as well as the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theater. At the time, she had to work as a waitress to make ends meet and was happy to star in the occasional commercial. Little did she know, though, that her combined experience with acting and dancing was about to make her a household name.
Making a splash with ‘Dirty Dancing’
Jennifer Grey’s career was already on the rise thanks to Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. There, she played the vengeful sister to our titular main character. One year later, though, she took center stage alongside Patrick Swayze in the megahit Dirty Dancing.
In retrospect, this was a movie that really kickstarted Swayze’s career. After this, he got offers for everything from Donnie Darko to Roadhouse. And Grey’s fans kept waiting for her career to get a similar bump.
Unfortunately, her career never did. And the reason for it was her former onscreen nemesis: Matthew Broderick!
Romance and tragedy with Matthew Broderick
In Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Jennifer Grey and Matthew Broderick play siblings with one hell of a rivalry. In reality, it seems like the two were quietly hitting it off. In fact, Insider reports that Grey had a “secret rendezvous” with Broderick while filming the movie. And the two ended up openly dating and even got engaged for a brief time in 1988. Unfortunately, the event that destroyed their relationship also helped to destroy Jennifer Grey’s career.
By the time Dirty Dancing came out, Grey was actually living with Broderick over in Ireland. Life seemed like a fairy tale until, one fateful day, Broderick drove the two of them on the wrong side of the road and slammed into another car. A mother and her child were in that car, and each of them died instantly.
Broderick was charged but ultimately received nothing more than a slap on the wrist. Physically, both he and Grey were fine, but it didn’t take Grey long to discover she was left with serious mental scars.
Dealing with survivor’s guilt
The tragic accident in Ireland couldn’t have come at a worse possible time. Dirty Dancing premiered only a few days later. But Jennifer Grey couldn’t make the most of it or even enjoy it due to the immense guilt she was feeling.
Recently, she discussed more about how she felt at the time. As reported by the Daily Mirror, she said, “The juxtaposition of that deep sorrow, the survivor’s guilt, and then being celebrated as the new big thing just didn’t jibe. It didn’t feel good to be the toast of the town.”
This survivor’s guilt messed with both her mental health and her career. As reported by Goalcast, she told People that, “my head was never the same” and “my ambition was never the same.”
A nose job makes her ‘invisible’
By itself, the survivor’s guilt was bad enough. On its own, this would not have held Jennifer Grey back. Like her former partner Broderick, Grey continued to act in various roles. However, she was never really prominent in Hollywood again, and she has a theory about why that is.
After a couple of years of dealing with survivor’s guilt, Grey got back on the horse by starring in an episode of the hit show Friends. Unfortunately, she was borderline unrecognizable due to a nose job. Looking back, she firmly credits this nose job with killing her career. According to Metro, she described it as a “nose job from hell” and claimed that “I’ll always be this once-famous actress nobody recognizes because of a nose job.”
Getting her movie star mojo back
Fortunately, Jennifer Grey’s tragic story has a happy ending. Many years after apparently leaving the limelight, she competed on Dancing With the Stars in 2010. Her victory there, and the rush of support from fans all over the world, helped her to re-experience her glory days.
From there, she went on to star in Red Oaks, Grey’s Anatomy, and many other shows. But the biggest project on Grey’s horizon is a return to the film that made her famous!
According to Deadline, a sequel to Dirty Dancing has been greenlit. Grey will reprise her original role, though the primary focus will be on a “coming-of-age romance centered on the experience of a young woman at the summer camp.” But don’t worry, Grey fans: “Baby’s own journey will intertwine with this to create a multi-layered narrative.”
Ultimately, Grey’s career coming full circle proves the old saying is right: despite all of the different obstacles she faced and continued to face, nobody puts Baby in the corner!
I love you
We don’t have to Jorge are like day… Everything she did is because of the love she has 4 his career