Ever since Jennifer Grey’s new memoir Out of the Corner has come out, she has been revealing piece by piece the juicy gossip of her tough life in Hollywood during the ‘80s. She has so far spoken about how her nose jobs made it hard for her to get work as well as what it was like to date Johnny Depp. While we know that one of her Hollywood beaus was Ferris Bueller’s Day Off co-star Matthew Broderick, what you may not know is that he wasn’t exactly in Jennifer Grey’s corner when she auditioned for her iconic role in Dirty Dancing.
One of the toughest parts of two celebrities in a romance can come regarding their professional lives and competition within the relationship. The Dirty Dancing star wrote in her memoir (via the The New York Post) about how her Ferris Bueller co-star seemingly did not have faith that she would land the role as Baby in Dirty Dancing. What's more, he was reportedly reassured by that theory. As Jennifer Grey put it,
He said this odd thing, as if to reassure himself, like he wasn’t aware he was using his ‘out loud voice.’ ‘I don’t know what I’m worried about. There’s no way you’re gonna get it. I’m sure they’re seeing everybody for this part.’
Jennifer Grey also revealed in her memoir that Matthew Broderick did not even want to hang out with her at a nightclub the day before her audition. He reluctantly agreed only after she begged him to come. Sounds to me like a lot of jealousy was at play here. While Matthew Broderick and Jennifer Grey portrayed sibling rivalry in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, they actually had a secret off-screen romance during the filming of this John Hughes classic. The iconic ‘80s star originally planned on ending the romance once filming was over, but Grey found herself falling for Broderick.
Even though the Ferris Bueller co-stars were engaged for a brief period in 1988, it wasn’t until the two of them were in a car crash in August 1987 that their relationship was revealed. In the crash that occurred in Northern Ireland with Jennifer Grey sitting passenger, Matthew Broderick drove into the wrong lane causing a head-on collision that killed a mother and daughter. The emotional trauma that Jennifer Grey endured from that devastating car crash was reportedly the end of this brief romance.
Jennifer Grey must have made Matthew Broderick’s head spin when she landed the role that made everyone say “Nobody puts Baby in the corner.” Not only was her on-set chemistry with Patrick Swayze noted, but so was her memorable lift scene in the film no matter how terrified she was to do it. She’s also got her sequel for Dirty Dancing going as she reprises her classic role. With the 62-year-old actress’s new book and upcoming film, we cannot wait to see Jennifer Grey wow audiences again.
What we can learn from the Jennifer Grey and Matthew Broderick relationship is the importance of finding someone who will root for your success instead of stroking their own ego by bringing you down. You can watch the sibling chemistry between the two stars in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off on your Paramount+ subscription as well as Dirty Dancing on your HBO Max subscription.
