Recast Dirty Dancing!

by 32

Every Wednesday on BuzzSugar, I post a Recast challenge, where I ask you to choose new actors for a classic TV show or movie. This week, let's go back to the summer of 1963, when a girl named Baby became a woman. Released in 1987, Dirty Dancing has a little bit of everything: class conflict, father-daughter confrontations, an abortion, and a campy dance number, all set during the dreamy summertime in the Catskills.

Jennifer Grey, Patrick Swayze, and the gang made for a memorable cast, but if you could cast this movie today, who would you pick to play the stubborn Baby, temperamental Johnny, and gruff Dr. Houseman? What about dancer Penny or Baby's haughty sister, Lisa? Leave your entry in the comment section, and I'll pick one winner to feature next Tuesday, March 27, complete with a "new" cast photo.

Characters to recast:
Baby (Jennifer Grey)
Johnny (Patrick Swayze)
Dr. Houseman (Jerry Orbach)
Lisa (Jane Brucker)
Penny (Cynthia Rhodes)

MoviesPatrick SwayzeRecastDirty DancingJennifer GreyJerry Orbach

32 Comments

yiddidea yiddidea
Baby - Rachel McAdams Johnny - Christian Bale (he can dance - Newsies!) Dr. Houseman - Jeff Bridges Lisa - Zooey Deschanel Penny - Keri Russell
snickerdoodle snickerdoodle
Ahh, clearly I messed up with some html in this one. Sorry buzzsugar! I really was just trying to make my entry easier to read? :/
lslybnks lslybnks
Baby: Thora Birch Johnny: Mario Lopez Dr. Houseman: Alan Arkin Lisa: Scarlett Johansson Penny: Jacinda Barrett
brazilnut brazilnut
*That would be Alec Baldwin* typo!
brazilnut brazilnut
Baby- Isla Fisher Johnny- Josh Holloway Dr. Houseman- Alec Balwin Lisa- Ginnifer Goodwin Penny- Gwen Stefani
kendallina kendallina
Baby - Rachel McAdams Johnny - Eric Dane Dr. Houseman - Peter Gallagher Lisa - Jordana Brewster Penny - Brittany Daniel
Loz2Hi Loz2Hi
Uggh- I thought I would be the only one with Mark Walhberg - I sure was wrong. Baby - Keri Russell Johnny - Mark Walhberg Dr. Houseman - Sam Elliott Lisa - Sarah Silverman[for comedy breaks]or Selma Blair Penny - Erika Christensen
SaRaH 22 SaRaH 22
ahhh after reading everyones i get good ideas!! Channing is an amazing dancer(yes, i liked that silly movie Step Up!) and Lacey Chabert would be a great Lisa!
snickerdoodle snickerdoodle
Hmm, I have an idea! What would happen if we set THIS version in Havana, Cuba! It'd be great! :) But here're my picks: Hayden Panettiere could play the sweet naivete and book smarts of Baby. Channing Tatum has the street-smart confidence (and fantastic dancing) along with that soft vulnerability of Johnny. Michael Richards would really do a number with Dr. Houseman, adding some goofiness to the role. I could see Lacey Chabert as the aggressively superficial, but still affectionate, Lisa, and Julia Stiles could give a great performance as the heartbreakingly world-weary Penny.
LaLa0428 LaLa0428
Baby- Rachel Bilson, Kristen Bell Johnny- Mark Walhberg, Channing Tatum, Ryan Gosling Dr. Houseman- Colin Firth Lisa- Zooey Deschanel Penny- Scarlett Johansson, Jaime King (?) Style Before Comfort!
SaRaH 22 SaRaH 22
oooo i really like the idea of Davin Boreanaz as Johnny, i didnt even think about him!
chancleta chancleta
Such a nice choice! Ok here's my choices: Baby: Bryce Dallas Howard (she's 26); she's got the right hair, face, and she's pretty but not too pretty; Baby was not meant to be a knock out Johnny: David Boreanaz (he's 37); he's got the right look (smoldering but not too much) and he has to be a little older than her; Johnny was meant to have more experience and age then Baby Dr. Houseman: Martin Sheen (he's 60); he's a little old but I think he could nail the combo of strength and soft that is dr. Houseman. Lisa: Zooey Deschanel (she's 27); she's not as old as she should be to play BUT she's nail her personality; quirky but cool Penny: Sarah Michelle Gellar (she's 30); Penny (like Johnny) was meant to be a slightly older and more experienced then Baby and Lisa. A good Penny can play the "been there done that" attitude well.
SaRaH 22 SaRaH 22
lets see...its hard for me because i so love the original! Baby-Rachel Bilson too! Johnny-Matthew Mcconaughey(not that he reminds me or Patrick Swayze, but just because I would love to see him dance like thath ;) ) Dr.HOuseman- Richard Gere Lisa- a brunett Rachel McAdams Penny- Kate Hudson (another chance for her to hook up with my Matthew)
happygirlhehe happygirlhehe
Baby- Julia Stiles Johnny- Mark Wahlberg Dr. Houseman- John Travolta Lisa- Katie Holmes Penny- Jennifer Lopez
sheena sheena
Baby - Rachel Bilson Johnny - Wentworth Miller Dr. Houseman - Tom Hanks Lisa - Jennifer Love Hewitt Penny - Carmen Electra
WhatTheFrockBlog WhatTheFrockBlog
Oh, jeez, I love this one!!! Baby - Rachel Bilson Johnny - Justin Timberlake Dr. Houseman - Terry O'Quinn Lisa - Zooey Deschanel Penny - Scarlett Johansson
LesleyP825 LesleyP825
Baby - Lindsay Lohan Johnny - Ryan Phillipe Dr. Houseman - Richard Gere Lisa - Anne Hathaway Penny - Kate Hudson