“Nobody puts Baby in a corner” is still the most memorable and quoted line from Jennifer Grey-starrer ‘Dirty Dancing.’ The film starring Patrick Swayze was the ticket to stardom for the actress. Later, she starred in several critically acclaimed and commercially successful films. But, another role that made her a household name is Mindy Hunter in ‘Friends.’
Jennifer Grey plays Rachel’s (Jennifer Aniston) best friend Mindy Hunter in the film. In the pilot episode of the show, when Rachel leaves Dr. Barry Farber, DDS (Mitchell Whitfield), at the altar, he goes on his honeymoon with Mindy. But, they do not reappear until the 20th season. However, after taking down the doctor, Jennifer never reappeared on the show due to her anxiety.
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Jennifer Grey Became Anxious Due To Changing Scripts
During an interview with MediaVillage, Jennifer Grey talked about why she did not appear on ‘Friends’ again. Grey said, “I was a fan of the show, and I got the call to do it. Then when I did it, I had such bad anxiety because they kept changing the script. It’s very hard to be a guest star because you’re not a part of it, and you’re really trying to figure it all out.”
Jennifer continued, “They were trying to figure out what the character was, what the scene was, and it was changing, and changing, and changing. It all made me so anxious that I could barely do it.” The ‘If the Shoe Fits’ actress added, “I didn’t know at the time what was going on with me,” she continued. “But I had a lot of performance anxiety, and I just didn’t understand at that time that I needed help in the anxiety department.”
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The Actress Was Sad To Pass On To The Role In ‘Friends’
Eventually, Warner Bros. recruited Jana Marie Hupp to play the role of Mindy, replacing Jennifer Grey. The actress reveals that she regrets passing on the opportunities due to her anxiety. In the interview, Grey said, “When they asked me to come back, I said I couldn’t. They got someone else to play the role.”
Grey continued, “It makes me sad that I would say no to continuing on Friends or doing Saturday Night Live because of my anxiety. The truth is, I wished I had people to help me navigate that kind of fear. But I couldn’t be there until I was there.”
However, the actress is grateful for the opportunity she got to star in the sitcom and the issue it tackled. Jennifer continued, “Everything you do in life, especially the hard things, the really painful, difficult things, are usually the things that are the most instructive and helpful. In life, I always learn more from things that you feel like a failure at, and the successes, you don’t learn as much, although, they might be fun. But it’s all a part of life.”
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