According to The Hollywood Reporter, original Dirty Dancing star Jennifer Grey was offered a role in ABC’s TV movie remake, but she turned it down. Apparently, Grey simply doesn’t approve of young people dirtily dancing with each other while on summer vacation at Kellerman’s Resort in the Catskills. Actually, no, Grey simply thought it would be better for the remake to stand on its own without bringing in recognizable faces, but we think the other explanation would probably make for a better movie.
Grey says she “was flattered” to be asked, but being involved with the remake “didn’t feel appropriate” to her. She said that she’s “going to be watching it” and is “excited,” but she just wants the people making the new Dirty Dancing to “put their stamp on it” and do their own thing with the remake instead of just doing it all exactly the same. She also wouldn’t reveal which character she was asked to play, but Baby’s mom seems like the obvious choice (or maybe a gender-swapped Tito Suarez, though Billy Dee Williams will do fine with that role).
ABC hasn’t announced a premiere date for the three-hour Dirty Dancing TV movie event, but it has lined up Abigail Breslin, Debra Messing, Colt Prattes, Sarah Hyland, and Bruce Greenwood to play the central characters.