Jennifer Grey Undergoes Transformation For Unrecognizable Role As Gwen Shamblin Lara

Feb 09, 2023

“Dirty Dancing” was one of the biggest surprise film hits of the 1980s, and it catapulted its two stars — Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey — into the limelight. But while Swayze went on to have an illustrious career after, Grey receded from the spotlight. The film’s incredible success was unexpected, which made their instant fame trickier to navigate. Regardless, the movie lives on as one of Hollywood’s standout hits from the 1980s and continues to be a fan favorite. 

The movie propelled Swayze to fame, who continued his meteoric rise when he starred in other classics of the era, including “Road House” and “Ghost.” He became a household name and one of Hollywood’s leading heartthrobs. He continued to work all through the 1990s and 2000s until, sadly, he succumbed to liver cancer in 2009.

Meanwhile, Grey left the spotlight in the decade following the film’s release. She didn’t open up about why that was the case until much later. More than three decades after “Dirty Dancing” came out, Grey opened up about a tragic car accident that changed the course of her life. She took the time she needed to heal and find her passion for acting again, and she did eventually get back out in the spotlight.

However, after she began to act again, Grey didn’t have the response she expected. Known for her distinct nose, the actress succumbed to pressure to undergo plastic surgery and, in the process, came out barely resembling her old self. This meant that when she acted in new projects, fans couldn’t even recognize her.

And in 2023, Grey stunned fans again after undergoing a drastic transformation for a film, leaving her almost unrecognizable.

Grey endured several hardships around the time she first shot to fame. She had problems from a botched rhinoplasty that dramatically changed her face, which led to an overnight change in how the industry viewed her.

Grey had two rhinoplasties altogether — the second to correct problems from the first — and they rendered her unrecognizable. She underwent rhinoplasty just before she appeared on the hit show “Friends” in 1995. Since people couldn’t recognize her from her 1980s roles, she had no luck landing major parts. She even considered changing her name to start her career anew but decided against it.

Speaking of the botched surgeries in 2012, she said, “I went in the operating theatre a celebrity and came out anonymous.” She added:

“It was the nose job from hell. I’ll always be this once-famous actress nobody ­recognises because of a nose job.”

Although she took some time away from Hollywood, Grey never gave up on her career. She has continued to find work over the years with roles in both film and television, including “Phineas and Ferb,” “Red Oaks” and the 2023 film “Gwen Shamblin: Starving for Salvation.”

Grey underwent a “riveting transformation” for the film, leaving fans shocked at her appearance. Speaking with Entertainment Tonight, Grey talked about taking on the titular role of Gwen Shamblin Lara – a religious leader and “diet guru” who was known for her massive hair.

“The more powerful she became, the bigger her hair got. The higher the hair, the closer to God,” Grey said. The hair was a major part of her transformation, so Grey required great wigs to pull off the look. Fortunately, fellow actress Jamie Lee Curtis knew just the guy for the job.

“I was talking to Jamie Lee Curtis and she said, ‘Well, you have to go with Rob Pickens. He’s the best wigmaker,” Grey explained.

And based on her Instagram post, Curtis wouldn’t have been happier with how the whole production turned out. On Feb. 4, 2023, she posted several of Grey as Lara with the caption:

“My friend @jennifergrey is going to BLOW YOUR MIND as Gwen Shamblin in @lifetimemv GWEN SHAMBLIN: STARVING FOR SALVATION! TONIGHT!”

However, there were struggles with taking on the role, specifically around the diet culture aspect. “What I noticed and I was so disturbed by was that she was the voice of anorexia,” Grey said.

She shared:

“I felt so much heaviness around it. My first thought was, “Well, this is a terrifying prospect to play somebody so dark, who was a real person just recently on this earth. And the next thought was, how can I be part of a story that really corroborates a very powerful voice in our culture, which is about (the importance of) body size and perfectionism?”

So, Grey chose to use the platform as a way to share the dangers of eating disorders. According to the National Eating Disorder Association (NEDA), “It is well known that anorexia nervosa is a deadly disorder.” However, the mortality rate of this disorder and other eating disorders can vary.

“I thought if I can do this and use this as a platform to raise awareness about seeking treatment, and to show the insanity and the misguidedness of her message, then I would be interested,” Grey explained.

It seems like Grey has learned a lot by undergoing several transformations over the years and has continued to share a powerful message with her fans.

Were you surprised to see Jennifer Grey’s transformed appearance? What do you think about her work as an actress? Let us know, and be sure to pass this along to your family and friends.

If you or anyone you know is suffering from an eating disorder, please visit the National Eating Disorder Association website, where you can call, chat or text with a representative. The association provides free and confidential support for you or your loved ones.