With both news of aDirty Dancingsequelbeginning production nearly four decades after its release, and in the dawn of a post-Roe v. Wade era, starJennifer Greysat down to discuss the film’s frightening relevance to today’s world. In her interview withEntertainment Weekly, the actress who played the film’s starry-eyed good girl, Frances “Baby” Houseman, touched on the impact of the film’s message, the many social justice elements woven into the storyline, and how, at the time, the cast never could have imagined those horrific scenarios could one day become a reality again.
For those who haven’t had the life-changing pleasure of watching and re-watching Grey’s Baby andPatrick Swayze’s Johnny Castle falling in love despite all odds, the movie takes place at a resort in the Catskills in the early ’60s. Baby is the daughter of a “first-rate doctor” and is set to join the Peace Corps at summer’s end, while Johnny is a second-class dance instructor, both desired and lauded by the wealthy resort attendees while simultaneously considered beneath them. When Baby discovers Johnny’s world, one she’s forbidden to associate with, she finds herself in the middle of a heavy situation. Johnny’s dance partner, Penny (Cynthia Rhodes), is in dire need of an abortion — illegal at the time — that she can’t afford, and Baby is confronted with a decision.
When the screenplay for 1987’sDirty Dancingwas pitched, writerEleanor Bergsteinwas told the film would never be a commercial success. After a six-month run in theaters, and grossing over ten times what it cost to film, the timeless love story remains a pop culture staple to this day. Still, no matter the star power of the cast or how many flashy dance numbers they could choreograph, in the late ’80s Bergstein’s script received constant pushback. The concern came from an important plot point that Bergstein purposefully built into the infrastructure of what’s now become a classic rom-com drama: a botched home abortion. Penny’s abortion is what the entire plot hinges on, a tactic Grey deemed “genius” in her interview. “To me, the fact that the person who is a virgin is the one who is helping someone get an illegal abortion because she sees how unjust the system is, she sees how wrong it is — it’s the call to action that makes it possible, makes it essential for her to then fall in love with Johnny.”
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Grey went on to comment on the 2022 Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade saying, “We have laws that penalize nature — and the laws are made by men who have never known what is to lose their career, or see their dreams of a future life cut short.”
Taking place in the year 1963,Dirty Dancing’s love story unfolds in a pre-Roe v. Wade era. In her interview, Grey noted the importance of portraying the consequences of stripping a person’s right to safe healthcare, something that Bergstein lived through in those early ’60s years. to depict the severity of the times, the writer and directorEmile Ardolinomade sure to include Penny’s screams, as well as referring to dirty knives, to paint a lurid picture of the very real traumas experienced during “coat hanger” abortions. The scene is “…terrifying, and it feels so real. It’s the last thing you think you’re going to see in this movie,” and its inclusion was meant as a cautionary tale. Grey continued, saying:
“When we made this movie, it was never in anybody’s wildest imaginations that this would ever resurface as a threat to all women, and to the doctors who would help them. These doctors, their whole job is to save people’s lives and to take care of people — and then to turn it into a legal issue is madness.”
Because of its iconic soundtrack and the blistering chemistry between Grey and Swayze,Dirty Dancingis a remarkable piece that withstands the test of time. However, unlike a typical love story, this one’s foundation relies on the injustice of a world that refuses its people (or at least those less financially capable of dodging the law) basic human rights. In Grey’s words, “There is so much goodness under what feels like a fluffy rom-com fairytale. There is so much depth in the structure of the characters, and the relevance to what’s going on right now.” Unfortunately,Dirty Dancingis more relevant to today’s world than it was almost forty years ago.
Since its release, there’s never been a better time for a revisit, post-Roe v. Wade and before its sequel hits theaters on August 27, 2025. You can watchDirty Dancing’s trailer below:
