‘It makes me sad that I said no’: Jennifer Grey reminisces about her role on Friends and reveals she didn’t return to the show due to ‘bad anxiety’

Jennifer Grey has opened up about her time appearing on hit sitcom Friends back in 1995.

The actress, 63, appeared in the first season of the show playing Mindy, who was Rachel Green’s (Jennifer Aniston) best friend, and who wound up marrying Barry who Rachel left at the alter. 

Jennifer only made one appearance in the role after having really ‘bad anxiety’ leading Mindy to be recast with Jana Marie Hupp in the role. 

Speaking to MediaVillage, the Dirty Dancing star explained that she was ‘a fan of the show’ when she got the offer but found it difficult due to producers ‘changing’ the scene and her lines causing her ‘performance anxiety’. 

She said: ‘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. 

‘It’s very hard to be a guest star’: Jennifer Grey has opened up about her time appearing on hit sitcom Friends back in 1995 on Sunday

Role: The actress, 63, appeared in the first season of the show playing Mindy, who was Rachel Green’s (Jennifer Aniston) best friend who wound up marrying the man she left at the alter

https://youtube.com/watch?v=bRwZ4lva7UE%3Frel%3D0%26showinfo%3D1%26hl%3Den-US

‘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’. 

Jennifer added that she didn’t know at the time that she ‘needed help in the anxiety department’ until after taking on the role. 

When she was offered to return to the role of Mindy, the actress said she passed due to her anxiety being so bad. 

Jennifer also noted she was ‘sad’ after being unwilling to host Saturday Night Live at the time as well. 

She 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’.

It comes after Jennifer was thrilled to see a fellow passenger watching Dirty Dancing as she took a flight on Valentine’s Day.

The actress shared video of the traveller watching the final dance scene to her Instagram account.

‘On a plane this valentine’s day and look what i spy with my little (eye emoji)!! #dirtydancing,’ she captioned the photo.

Stressful: The Dirty Dancing star explained that she was ‘a fan of the show’ when she got the offer but found it difficult due to producers ‘changing’ her lines causing her ‘performance anxiety’

Pass: When she was offered to return to the role of Mindy, the actress said she passed due to her anxiety being so bad and noted she was ‘sad’ after being unwilling to host Saturday Night Live due to it

The original film was released in 1987 and followed the romance of Baby Houseman and her dance instructor Johnny Castle, and now a sequel is in the works with Jennifer returning to her original role.

In November, Jennifer spilled a few new details about the upcoming sequel – including that multiple characters from the original will be back.

Jennifer dished to Extra that audiences who go to the sequel will be treated to the sight of her own character ‘Baby, quite a few years older.’

She added: ‘You will see other characters that are from the original,’ while acknowledging that making the sequel will be ‘tricky and exciting.’

Jennifer noted that the sequel will bring back not just some old faces but also an old setpiece – a made-up Catskills resort called Kellerman’s.

She starred in the original 1987 movie as a 1960s high school girl who goes to Kellerman’s on holiday with her parents and falls for the resort’s resident dance instructor Johnny Castle, played by Patrick Swayze.

Patrick died in 2009 at the age of 57 after a battle with pancreatic cancer, and Jennifer has previously confessed that his absence will make the sequel a challenge.

‘What happened happened, and that will never happen again,’ she said of the original movie in an interview with Entertainment Weekly.

‘There will never be another Johnny. There will never be another Patrick. This sequel has got to be its own standalone piece. It’s very tricky.’

When asked about the sequel in general, she replied: ‘I can’t tell you much, sadly, but I will tell you that it will involve Baby. It will involve Kellerman’s. There will be music.’

Exciting: It comes after Jennifer spilled a few new details about the upcoming sequel of Dirty Dancing – including that multiple characters from the original will be back

Jennifer, who now has an adult daughter, added with a self-deprecating laugh: ‘Unless there’s a lot of CGI, Baby’s going to be a little older.’

She went on: ‘It’s going to be Kellerman’s, music, dancing, love story, romance. I’m just so super committed and invested in making it a fresh [take].’

Laying out the logistics, she shared: ‘There’s a script, we’re working on the script. We’re going to shoot it in the spring of 2023, and it comes out on Feb. 9, 2024.’

Dirty Dancing was directed by Emile Ardolino, who went on to make Sister Act before dying of AIDS complications in 1993 at the age of just 50.

The forthcoming sequel is being directed by Jonathan Levine, whose filmography features such movies as 50/50 and Warm Bodies.

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