Patrick Swayze’s widow, Lisa Niemi Swayze, is sharing her thoughts on the upcoming Dirty Dancing sequel.
“I actually got to read the script,” Lisa, 69, exclusively told Us Weekly while discussing the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network’s annual Purple Stride Walk. “I was very moved by it.”
Patrick, who died in 2009 after a 22-month battle with pancreatic cancer at age 57, starred in the original 1987 film as Johnny Castle, a charismatic but closed-off dance instructor who falls in love with Jennifer Grey’s Frances “Baby” Houseman at a resort in the 1960s. Grey, 66, announced earlier this year that a new installment of the franchise was in the works.
Despite doubts from some fans, Lisa told Us that the upcoming sequel does find ways to incorporate Patrick into the story, noting that she appreciated how it “treated the handling” Johnny’s character.
“I’ll be very curious to see how it comes about,” she added. “I wish [them] the best of luck. They’ve been working on it [for] quite a while. And I can’t wait to see it.”
Lionsgate confirmed in January that the follow-up to the beloved film would begin production later in the year, with Grey reprising her role as Baby and serving as executive producer. Hunger Games and Crazy Rich Asians producers Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson will also produce, with Kim Rosenstock writing the script.
“The role of Baby has held a very deep and meaningful place in my heart, as it has in the hearts of so many fans over the years,” Grey shared in a January press release. “I’ve long wondered where we might find Baby years later and what her life might be like, but it’s taken time to assemble the kind of people that I felt could be entrusted to build on the legacy of the original film.”
The announcement faced immediate backlash from some die-hard fans, who expressed disappointment that a new film was being made without Patrick. Some called it out as a “disrespectful” move, claiming there “is no Dirty Dancing without Patrick Swayze.” Others pointed out that a 2004 sequel, titled Havana Nights, already exists and features Patrick in a supporting role.
Grey addressed the mixed reactions while speaking to People earlier this year, promising that all of her former costars’ legacies will remain in tact.
“All I can say is there is no replacing anyone who’s passed — you never try to repeat anything that’s magic like that,” she told the outlet at the time. “You just go for something different.”
Patrick, after all, is not the only Dirty Dancing cast member who has passed away since the film premiered. Jack Weston, who played resort owner Max Kellerman, and Max Cantor, who appeared as waiter Robbie, both died in 1996. Jerry Orbach, who portrayed Baby’s father Dr. Jake Houseman, died in 2004. The movie also starred Kelly Bishop, Cynthia Rhodes, Jane Brucker, Wayne Knight, Lonny Price, Neal Jones and Miranda Garrison. It has not been confirmed whether or not they will return.
Lisa, for her part, is just happy that her late husband remains in people’s hearts, even nearly two decades after his death. Patrick’s still come up to her “all the time” to gush over their love for him, which is something welcomes with open arms.
“People will say, ‘Patrick was my favorite actor. I was so in love with Patrick when I was X years old.’ And I just love it that people still love them so much,” she told Us. “My response always is, ‘You have really good taste.’”
Much of Lisa’s life is about keeping Patrick’s spirit alive, including through her advocacy with PanCAN, an organization she describes as a “one-stop shop” for pancreatic cancer patients and caregivers.
“It gave me a way to keep [Patrick’s] fight going, because he fought like hell to be here, and just because he was gone didn’t mean the fight was over,” Lisa recalled of first teaming up with the nonprofit shortly after the Ghost actor’s death. “I know how important it is to everybody else out there that are facing this deadly cancer, and progress has to be made, and we have to keep on pushing forward on that.”
Next up on her agenda is PanCAN’s Purple Stride fundraiser, which will take place on April 25 of this year. The annual 5K is held in over 50 communities and has raised more than $17.6 million to date.
“These people show up with such energy and joy and love and love, love for their loved ones,” Lisa told Us of the event. “They’re there representing all the people who are fighting this disease and all the people who they’ve lost to this disease. And it’s really inspiring and wonderful.”
