Jennifer Gray is opening up about the infamous rhinoplasty procedure that rendered her unrecognizable at the peak of her fame. Her mother's encouragement led her to the story, she revealed in a new interview.
The Dirty Dancing star is promoting a memoir about her life entitled Out of the Corner. The book is slated for a May publication and she spoke to People about some of the revelations. After the nose job that changed her appearance forever, Michael Douglas didn't recognize Gray at a film premiere.
"That was the first time I had gone out in public," Gray said. "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 that thing that I resisted my whole life, and [...] I was so upset with my mother for always telling me I should do my nose. I really thought it was capitulating. I really thought it meant surrendering to the enemy camp. I just thought, 'I'm good enough. I shouldn't have to do this.' That's really what I felt. 'I'm beautiful enough.'"
In the interview with People, Gray reveals that Hollywood's anti-Semitic beauty standards may have caused her mother to think a nose job would only help her in the long run.
"She loves me, loved me, always has, and she was pragmatic because she was saying, guess what? It's too hard to cast you. Make it easier for them. And then I did and she was right," said Gray, who alludes to having had two nose jobs. "It wasn't like, you're not pretty. It's like, guess what? If you don't want to be an actor, okay. But if you wanna be an actor..."
Grey's parents, Joel Gray and Jo Wilder, were both in show business as well. Gray says their careers weren't negatively affected by plastic surgery.