Jennifer Grey experienced “invisibility” following face surgery because of the “nose job from hell” that made her “anonymous.”
It was anticipated that Jennifer Grey, who played “Baby” in the iconic movie Dirty Dancing, would experience a significant rise in her employment opportunities.
However, it was not meant to be. Instead, a horrific incident drastically altered everything and led her to decide to quit the film industry for good.
Jennifer Grey has now opened up about the traumatic period in her life that left her severely damaged after many years of silence.
However, the cast and crew were shocked to learn what they had done when Dirty Dancing premiered in theaters in August 1987.
Patrick Swayze, the male lead, found immediate success. In addition to starring in blockbusters like Ghost and Donnie Darko, he first gained notoriety as a sex icon and adolescent idol.
However, his co-star Jennifer Grey wasn’t in a good spot when the movie first came out, and she quickly disappeared totally. In the midst of the fun and celebration, Jennifer Grey left as abruptly as she had arrived.
Additionally, it was a very, very long time since the actress was seen in the media.
But she has now spoken candidly in an interview about the incident that changed her life.
But first, let’s look at Jennifer Grey’s life before to the tragic event in the summer of 1987.
Jennifer Gray started taking dance instruction at a young age. She was born in New York in 1960, and her father might have inspired her to work in the entertainment industry. Her father, Joel Gray, was an actor, dancer, singer, and photographer.
When Jennifer was a student at Dalton School, she focused on acting and choreography. She began looking for acting opportunities after receiving her degree in 1978 and enrolled in the Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theater at the same time. Her life was far from a romantic dance on flowers, but it was also both. Jennifer was made to work as a waitress in order to pay the bills.
She nevertheless managed to land a few TV ad jobs, including one for Dr. Pepper, despite this. In the 1984 movie “Reckless,” she made her acting debut. A few years later, she received a major break when she was cast as Frances “Baby” Houseman in the film “Dirty Dancing.”
Author Eleanor Bergstein’s childhood served as a major inspiration for the plot of this well-loved film. Jennifer gained notoriety overnight and received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress.
Unfortunately, she was never able to benefit from the enormous success.
Just before the film’s August 1987 release, Grey and her ex-boyfriend Matthew Broderick were residing in Ireland.
However, Broderick was driving on the wrong side of the road and struck another vehicle, which led to a tragic car accident for the pair. A mom and her daughter were in the second car, and they both passed away in an instant.
Eventually, the charge of reckless driving against Broderick was amended to careless driving. Jennifer Grey only suffered minor physical wounds like bruises, but her psychological scars never fully healed.
The film Dirty Dancing made its premiere a short while afterwards. But of how well-liked the film was, Grey was unable to enjoy it.
It was impossible to reconcile the extreme suffering, the survivor’s guilt, and then being praised as the next big thing. Grey claimed that being the talk of the town didn’t feel good.
The stress brought on by the disaster will prevent the actress from ever fully recovering.
“My thinking was never the same, my desire was never the same,” she said.
Hell’s nose job
She struggled with survivor’s guilt, vanished for a while in the early 1990s, then returned in one episode of Friends in 1995.
At that point, she had undergone plastic surgery, and her face was entirely different.
“It was like being in a witness protection program or feeling anonymous. The worst nose job ever, ever. I’ll always be the anonymous ex renowned actress with a nose job.
After that, Jennifer’s Hollywood career was sporadic.
By 2010, Jennifer successfully re-entered the mainstream media. After winning the TV show “Dancing with the Stars,” she was once again a passionate fan favorite. She insisted that it was a meaningful item to her.
It’s like eating a great steak after being on a diet for 23 years, the celebrity remarked, adding that she felt like she had starved herself out of concern for what people would think of her.
In 2018, Grey makes another foray back into the spotlight. She will play the lead in the upcoming comedy “Red Oaks” as well as “Untogether.”
We are so happy that you have rediscovered your excitement and joy, Jennifer!
Who else wants to experience nostalgia by going back to 1987? The iconic scene from Dirty Dancing may be seen below. What lovely memories!