Jennifer Grey made her mark in the film industry with the now-cult classic movie Dirty Dancing, which hit theaters 35 years ago.
She quickly rose to stardom for her portrayal of Baby, the quiet teenager who falls in love with hard-edged Johnny, played by the late Patrick Swayze.
With fame often comes heavy media scrutiny and sometimes personal criticism that serves as the catalyst for many celebs to desire to alter their appearance in multiple ways.
Now, so many years after she was catapulted into the spotlight, Jennifer is opening up more about the devastating nose job she got early on in her career that ended up leaving her looking nearly unrecognizable.
Jennifer said that her rhinoplasty surgery left her feeling ‘invisible’ while adding that her mother urged her to do it
The Grey’s Anatomy cast member, 62, sat down for an exclusive interview with People recently, delving more deeply into her past and sharing the heartbreaking details of the cosmetic surgery that left her forever changed.
Jennifer told the magazine that her first brush with the reality of her surgery decision occurred not long after her second nose job when she attended a premiere, and actor Michael Douglas had no idea who she was despite having known each other previously.
“That was the first time I had gone out in public. And it became the thing, the idea of being completely invisible, from one day to the next,” Jennifer said of the awkward and telling run-in.
“In the world’s eyes, I was no longer me. and the weird thing was that thing that I resisted my whole life, and the thing I was so upset with my mother for always telling me I should do my nose,” she added in a highly-revelatory statement.
Jennifer explained that her mother, actress Jo Wilder, had undergone the same surgery in her early years in the industry and had always told Jennifer that she would not get film roles unless she changed the shape of her nose.
“She loves me, loved me, always has, and she was pragmatic because she was saying, ‘Guess what? It’s too hard to cast you. Make it easier for them'” Jennifer revealed about her upbringing and how her mother encouraged her to undergo the surgery.
“And then I did and she was right. it wasn’t like, ‘You’re not pretty.’ It’s like, ‘Guess what? If you don’t want to be an actor, okay. But if you wanna be an actor…'” she concluded.
Jennifer said her off-set lack of chemistry with Patrick Swayze likely helped them build their characters
During her interview with People, Jennifer also talked about her time filming Dirty Dancing with Patrick, saying that the pair definitely had some tension behind the scenes.
“…we weren’t a natural match” Jennifer admitted to the magazine, adding that their difficulty in connecting with each other actually helped them, saying “our being forced to be together created a kind of a synergy, or like a friction.”
According to the actress, the movie put some pressure on her and Patrick to become a real-life item, but the late actor was happily married at the time, and Jennifer was dating Ferris Bueller’s Day Off co-star Matthew Broderick.
Jennifer was married to Iron Man and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. actor Clark Gregg for twenty years before the duo divorced last spring.