Jennifer Grey recently recounted an incident on the set of the 1984 film “Red Dawn” involving a deleted sex scene with Patrick Swayze. Grey, now 64, described Swayze arriving drunk to film the scene in a sleeping bag. She shared her experience on the December 20th episode of “The Hollywood Reporter’s Awards Chatter” podcast.
“Red Dawn” featured a young cast including Grey, Swayze, Lea Thompson, Charlie Sheen, and C. Thomas Howell, portraying teenagers fighting back against a Soviet invasion in their Colorado town. The film was primarily action-packed, making the intimate scene a unique acting opportunity for Grey.
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Grey emphasized the importance of the scene: “As an actor, you’re looking at all your stuff in the script…I’m running. I’m shooting. I’m throwing hand grenades…But this is the only acting scene I get to do where I’m not doing action.” She considered it “one of the more tender scenes,” influencing her decision to take the role.
However, Swayze, who passed away from pancreatic cancer in 2009 at age 57, struggled with his lines during the filming of the scene. Ultimately, the scene was cut, with promises to reshoot it later, which never materialized. Grey also mentioned enduring pranks from her costars, such as firecrackers being placed in her door.
“I was smoking a lot of weed in those days, too,” Grey admitted. This contributed to her paranoia and fear, leading to a sleepless night before the scene. She confessed to feeling “super paranoid” and “scared.” Consequently, she entered the scene feeling angry and “self-righteous.”
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Reflecting on her younger self, Grey acknowledged her seriousness and potential to be “a little annoying” due to her strong desire to perform well. She highlighted her inexperience as a “super young actor” at the time.
Prior to their iconic pairing in “Dirty Dancing” (1987), Swayze apologized for his on-set behavior during their screen test for the film. Grey recounted Swayze’s emotional apology: “He pulled me down the hall and said to me, ‘I love you, I love you, and I’m so sorry…We could kill it — we could kill it if we did this.'” Despite the initial friction, their chemistry proved undeniable during the screen test, solidifying their roles in the film that would later catapult them to fame.
