Hollywood royalty Jennifer Grey has been in the spotlight since her star-making turn in Dirty Dancing opposite Patrick Swayze. Daughter to Oscar-winning actor Joel Grey, Jennifer’s time in the spotlight has not been easy. Rocked by scandals and considered unhireable after a nose job left her unrecognizable Grey has stayed the course, even winning Dancing with the Stars in 2010.
The Ferris Bueller’s Day Off actress is about to release her memoir Out of the Corner, and nothing is off-limits. The Red Dawn star sat down with People magazine for an interview on the eve of her book launch. In discussing her infamous nose job Grey remembered seeing friend Michael Douglas – who had no idea who she was,
“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. In the world’s eyes, I was no longer me. And the weird thing was, I had resisted doing my nose job my whole life.”
A large figure in the memoir, and Grey’s life, is actor Matthew Broderick. The two famously dated for years in the 80s. Grey also dated Johnny Depp and counted Winona Ryder as a close personal friend. Speaking about the difference in the trajectory of her career and Broderick’s Grey had this to say,
“Do you see how Matthew was ahead of me in his career trajectory? Matthew was an IT GUY…I cast myself as a supplicant, because that’s what I knew. I was born to be the wind beneath someone’s wings. That’s where I felt most comfortable.”
However, the most jaw-dropping memory Grey discussed in the book is the outing of her famous father to her – by boyfriend Matthew Broderick’s mother! One afternoon while waiting for Matthew at the Broderick home she was told,
“You know your dad’s a fag.”
A shocked Grey had no idea how to respond. Today Grey holds no ill will towards her saying,
“She just said whatever she believed was the truth — and perhaps she was doing me a solid. Maybe she thought: Is anybody gonna say what’s happening in the world?”
But back then Grey, understandably, was pissed! “At the time, it was, like, warfare. It was an act of aggression. Perhaps she was offended by the lack of transparency. I don’t know what anybody else is thinking. All I know, all I knew at the time was that it felt like it was a sniper attack. The idea was that I was a fool and that everyone knew but me.”
As far as her beloved dad and his sexuality Grey adopts the mentality that many in our now more evolved world have,
“It’s really only for him. I’m so exhausted by the reductiveness with which people want to out famous people and decide what people are. Like, who cares! People should feel good. And, besides, I think that sexuality is so much more interesting than gay or straight, bi. And, you know what I think about it all the time: he said my mom was the love of his life and I believe she was.”
Out of The Corner will be published on May 3rd.
Sources: People magazine
I remember seeing him in several things, and knew he’s gay but didn’t realize she was his daughter.