One great Dirty Dancing scene was made even better, thanks to Jennifer Grey. The 1987 romantic drama has found lasting appeal with audiences, who appreciate the iconic soundtrack, Baby's great coming-of-age journey, and the charming love story that blossoms in the summer of 1963 at a resort in the Catskills. The romance takes place between Frances "Baby" Houseman (Jennifer Grey), a sheltered rich teen, and Johnny Castle (Patrick Swayze), a cynical dance instructor from the wrong side of the tracks. Dirty Dancing has many iconic scenes that have been memorialized in popular culture, but one of those moments becomes even better after knowing the behind-the-scenes details.
One of the best and most memorable Dirty Dancing scenes is the film's climactic dance performance. At this point in the film, Johnny has been fired from Kellerman's for having a relationship with Baby since it isn't encouraged for the entertainment staff to "mix" with guests. However, Johnny returns for the end-of-summer talent show, bringing Baby on stage to do the dance they've spent the summer practicing. Baby and Johnny's performance, set to "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes, ends with the successful execution of Dirty Dancing's iconic lift. The lift has been parodied and paid homage to several times, from The Goldbergs (where Erica and Geoff perform the lift during a school dance) to Crazy, Stupid Love (where Ryan Gosling's Jacob practices his "signature move" of the Dirty Dancing lift with Emma Stone's Hannah).
The Dirty Dancing lift is made even better because Baby actress Jennifer Grey admitted she didn't practice the move until the day they had to actually shoot the iconic scene. In her memoir, Out of the Corner, Grey admits that she wanted to let go of the fear but couldn't, and her body was afraid to take the leap. She thought that if she didn't execute the lift perfectly, either Swayze or herself (or even both of them) could be severely injured. Jennifer Grey's real-life fear of doing the lift makes Baby's fear of the lift in Dirty Dancing feel even more realistic. Baby and Johnny are initially supposed to do the lift during a hotel performance, but a fearful Baby changes her mind at the last minute and Johnny improvises some moves instead. The fact that Grey was able to overcome her fear makes Baby's execution of the lift in the movie even better.
Behind the scenes of Dirty Dancing, Patrick Swayze's response to Jennifer Grey's fears is another reason why the lift scene is even greater than it seems. Grey says that Swayze was very encouraging of her during her anxiety about practicing the lift. Though the two co-stars had animosity at first, they were able to work together, mirroring the growth of Baby and Johnny's relationship throughout Dirty Dancing. In Out of the Corner, Grey writes, "What you see between us in that scene was also real. Real gratitude. Real respect. Real care. If that's not love, what is?" Swayze's encouragement behind the scenes helped make the lift scene great because of the actual trust and consideration between Jennifer Grey and him. Grey and Swayze's authentic feelings while filming the climax elevate their already great performances.
Patrick Swayze's real-life feelings made an improvised moment in Dirty Dancing great, but he wasn't the only one who helped elevate the movie. Jennifer Grey's hesitancy regarding the movie's famous lift ended up making the climactic scene better because Baby's conquering of her fears feels authentic. It's a good thing that Jennifer Grey was able to take the leap and trust Patrick Swayze, because Dirty Dancing's lift scene is a fantastic and exciting movie moment.