Patrick Swayze interview for Dirty Dancing 1987

close up on Patrick mm-hmm well Patrick as I was saying welcome to Dallas it's nice to have you here thanks it's good to be here and you were telling me that you come down here every so often for horseshoes yeah Lisa I my wife and I raised straight Egyptian purebred Arabians in Houston and we come here for horse shows my fact uh last year I came here and rode my Western pleasure horse in the southwest regionals and went top five on him qualified for the Nationals and I was shooting dirty dancing at the time so I couldn't ride him so Lisa took him to the US Nationals and went top ten in the nation on uh we don't know real well with our horses our little filly our little princess she went top ten at the Egyptian event last year and at the Egyptian event again this year and that's an international show so it's considered world so we're doing you know doing pretty well but you have to be guided correctly or you can lose your shirt we have two Arabians with Tom McNair international in Pinehurst Texas and in partnership with others there and then for fun horses at our ranch in California I wrote you on calf rope when I'm not shooting so horses are my biggest love aside from my wife you write things Lisa mm yeah Lisa knee me um she we actually just starred in our first film together in Africa which is another Wester on picture it's called nomads the warrior I just finished three films back-to-back dirty dancing nomads and a tiger Warsaw that were Piper Laurie and I started together which was really excited to to get to work with Piper she's an amazing actress really really neat lady too bad heck if you just can't find anymore oh no not go would have you ever played a Western or something where you've had to ride horses well well north and south I rode horses all through that for a year and a half we shot it for a year and a half and then in Red Dawn I rode horses my own horse actually in Red Dawn and a little bit of an idealistic idealistic dream I'd like to be responsible for bringing back westerns at some point or partially responsible or some portion their up you'll go up for a Western and they'll say no you don't look the car you can't look like you sit a saddle good or something it's it's no incident on the same hand I'd like to be responsible for bringing back musicals we've got I've got at least and I have our production company really happening now and we're developing three scripts at the moment one with Gene Kelly which is really exciting I mean even even get to meet the man much less work with him on a professional level I'd met him first when he was with Francis Coppola when they were playing on bringing back musicals and I went in an audition for him I did a Tulsa from gypsy for him and one number and then zoetrope folded and really the way we got to know him is he came to see a play that Lisa and I a Nicholas Gunn wrote called without a word about our lives as dancers in New York and I really really impressed him and he felt that we were the couple he'd been looking for for years and we started developing his project well Gene Kelly then B producer will in the hill not sure and actually everything's had to be put on the backburner for a bit because he got sick and then went off to Paris to see his daughter then Lisa and I have since gone on and started developing another dance script not with William Blaylock who was the producer on Grand View and I did with Jamie Lee Curtis and Tom you have a lot of people probably don't know about your dance background because the films that they senior in and the television things really haven't danced or at least you haven't had a dancing role no I wanted to keep it quiet for a while just from well you know like growing up in Texas in Houston dancing is not something that's you know too widely accepted and so well I guess really it comes down to that I didn't want to have to fight the stigma dancer turned actor now it's Oh a cure with other talents and so now people are finding out the kind of dancer I am after having established myself as an actor and it's it's a point of interest with most of your dancing though ballet and classical yeah that will ballet and jazz and modern tap my mother didn't believe that you could truly call yourself an artist unless you're unless you're well-rounded in every level of the Arts I made my living as a singer for a lot of years really did me a lot of good especially dancing with ballet companies because when you have a choreographer like Twyla far for someone come in to set a ballet many ballet dancers are very stiff when you're asked when they're asked to work in some freeform movement or in the jazz class they look like ducks out of water a lot of times so it really really helped me move up in the dance world fairly quickly because I could do you know every level in this film I really I must have impacted your wonderful nothing really very much I am George a performance so much both the acting and of course it was fun I knew about your dancing background but it was so much fun to be able to see you up there on the screen dancing but I wonder about one thing you have any sort of problem with the title dirty thing I hate the title dirty dancing absolutely hate it I can't overlap and it could be an editing ok ok ok let me just give it to you again move on the next book it's a wait unplug yeah I hate the title Dirty Dancing they you know a studio does test-marketing things and and it tested well but I'd like to know where they tested it you know they definitely didn't test it in middle America or the Bible Belt but Dirty Dancing is specific to from from the writers point of view that's what they called this type of dancing when it started moving out of partner dancing into more of a free freedom of expression in your movement and it's really dirty dancing is not what it sounds like mom and dad out there tonight it's not a terrible movie it's rated pg-13 it's great a great film for kids in the family it does definitely have some some heat to it and some passion but it's it's more of an innocent passion of two kids trying to find out who they are in life and where they're going to go and and not allowing themselves somehow to be restricted by society or standard social standards and find out who they are and make their dreams come true and the dirty dancing they're talking about is is the hully gully and the Frug and skate and all you know all this kind of I mean it's not like it's not bad with that always the time it was called dancin for a while but I'm going to call it dancing that's Bob Fosse musical we all really fought to not have it called dirty dancing because you know I mean I talk to well like the the the people I were involved with with our horses Tom McNair and his family they're very god-fearing people and hated the idea of that title you know and and I would seem to me that most of Middle America would react that way you know and it's not the kind of film that the title indicates that it might be did you all have any alternate titles that you wish that's you know if we could have come up with better titles uh it would have been different I mean the only thing we could come up with jokingly was I was a teenage Mambo Queen Cappetta but that's what the studio went with yeah so that's what we had to be stuck with and publicized go back Patrick to Red Dawn the movie just really didn't do what anybody wanted it to do but did you ever had the feeling or did you ever even think about whether Red Dog helped your career or hurt it I would definitely help my career it's made a lot of money it's got cult followings all over the world like The Outsiders and uncommon valor but what do you mean it didn't do what everybody well for instance many critics I remember had it on their worst 10 list and and it was generally perceived as as I guess that's not a good film by some critical stickers and and I saw the film and I thought if you could take it for what it was you know it didn't say this will happen or this did happen it's a what-if this wouldn't happen I mean that's the way I thought well the point of view that I come from in my work is I tried to choose roles they have power and had an passion and make some kind of a statement you know a character starts in one place in the beginning and grows to a certain point in the end and this was more Red Dawn for me I decided to do it not not from a political point of because because really the film was was criticized from the point of view that of the political implications yet and it's interesting because grown-ups don't get it kids do in terms of you know judging when I read my fan mail kids really got the film because what I wanted to do with Jed and all of us as actors wanted to try to pull off in performance is is to show the the bastardization on the human soul and then and what war does to a human being and how it ruins I mean the reason my brother and I go back into town at the end it's relatively to commit suicide because we couldn't live with people again we're rule as human beings and and so for me Red Dawn was not about Russia in the United States it was about how sad it is how how sad war is from the point of view of the effect it has on the human being and so you know and I would I would have these interviews with journalists all the United States who wanted these you know intellectuals in New York they wanted to suck me into a political debate you know I'm an actor I'm not a politician that was not my you know and so I feel real proud of it of the work of my work and other actors work I was angry in the way they cut it because they sold out for more action they left out the the wonderful things that we shot like like how we survived how we stayed alive how we became this this group of guerrilla kids and you know because I the only me being the leader the only way I knew how to to plan strategies or you know come up with a way to train and put these kids together was from football as sports and all those things that you know some of the most interesting stuff of the film was cut out so they could do more shoot them up and that made me angry about the film so anything I critic could say from that point of view I agree with one last question have you talked with Jennifer no I think she's still in Ireland I hope she is able to make it back for the premiere I'm just real glad they're all right it was a terrible thing that happened uh but her injuries I don't think what she's know if anything I think was just some scrapes I think Matthew broke his leg but I think the people in the other car were killed it's terrible she's very she isn't she I'm real proud of her because you know she was scared because she's not necessarily a dancer her father wasn't she's got phenomenal natural talent but I I just think she pulled off a really really neat performance because she grew you saw her move from a little girl to a young adult and I feel real real good about dirty dancing but I think the thing I feel that in the word in LA in New York is dirty dancing is going to be very very successful but I try not to listen to that stuff you know I try to move on in my life because I've dealt with the disappointment on on some other movies in my past where where you know you get it you allow yourself to get excited you allow yourself to get vulnerable and open yourself up to well it's you know it's going to be a great film and time and then you're disappointed and and your life becomes about waiting till something comes out that's not gonna do something for you and waiting is victim in my book and I like to just do something put 100% of myself into it and move on dirty dancing is three movies ago for me okay oh did you help Jennifer with her dancing or was it she just had a choreographer working oh no we worked together for six weeks before we started shooting on location I left the responsibilities to Kenny Ortega yet of course I had to help her with her dancing because she dancing with me and they're very very you know in partner dancing and doing a Foxtrot as anyone will know a Foxtrot or Mambo or a Samba or rumba is is the ability to lead and be led and that only comes from a certain frame which makes the two people as one it's interesting because the dancing I mean I I do this quote dirty dancing in the film which is sort of all over the place yet what I'm really attracted to is the partner dancing the mom the Mambo and you know because I did some ballroom exhibition with Andre Previn at Jones Hall in Houston a lot of years ago and and fell in love with it it was interesting though in doing this dirty dancing because I had to hold back you know because in order to be true to the character this guy Johnny castle from the from the streets of Philadelphia you know was talking like this here you know I cleaned him up you know he said because I figured he wouldn't be quite so Street he would have cleaned up his act in order to look better and be great with the ladies you know but it was a slightly frustrating that's why I don't consider dirty dancing as my dance movie you know that's you know I figured one at least in my writing together will be my dancing movie when I can really blow out that you know blow it all out and pull out the stops and go for it the one moment that I really get to blow it out as towards the end when I come off the stage and I land I do that I do that double pirouette there's a double tour in the air down the knee and then start that last number I was able to sneak in one moment of technical prowess there but I had a great time doing the movie was real real hard shooting it it was just a great group of people because you know could have turned out to be an exploitive piece of fluff but I feel it really turned out to be a wonderful movie for four kids from the point of view of making your dreams come true and not allowing mommy or daddy or society to tell you to give them up do you stay I'm sure ready where did you study always in Houston yeah you didn't ever study in like no yeah so you didn't know equal usage yes I knew Hillary's games in New York and and my mother was very good friends with him for many years so I've known he gorgeous cabbage since I was born I've known you know most most of the big old teachers all my life because you know my mother knew and I you know because I was being offered scholarships with every major ballet company in New York from the time I was 14 years old but I was sure that was the direction I wanted to go you know I was mister football player and track runner and stuff and gymnast and I still had I had a little bit of the Texas thing well I don't want to go dancing under keeps you in good shape and keeps your muscles toned and you don't have too many pulled muscles because of the flexibility you know but uh I wasn't sure that's what I wanted to do with my life do you always though stay in shape accident yeah as a matter of fact my Lisa and I'm hopefully is our life go on would like to become powerful forces in the business in the film industry mainly from the point of view because you know I hate some of the stuff that's being done do you know Porky's Rambo that kind of stuff it's like exploitive junk and playing on people's hangups or vices you know I ideally out of our production company we'd like to do films that are going to you know affect people in a positive way I feel a big responsibility to kids you know grown-ups don't matter you know most grown-ups are set in their ways and in their opinions and beliefs and you're not going to influence them too much one way or the other but kids are influenced and whether you like it or not you are a role model and I take that very very seriously that's why I like to do press it's it's like your opportunity makes you feel like you know feel like you're not just a bloodsucker in this world in this business by taking it and becoming an actor and making money and getting your face known and they known and that kind of thing but it's your opportunity to return something so I take doing this stuff real serious well Patrick I enjoy talking delightful well thank you I hope the film does well for you I think it will I really think it will I think young audiences will be extremely well the way I see it just from the way things have been going is it's gonna be it's gonna be a film for women and guys will go because because their girlfriends and wives drag them there hey no men and they'll probably like it after they get there I think I'm going to bring up one more thing and then I promise your puppy clients that's right I really think because I've seen the film with some people and the women all think that you're going to be the new sex symbol can you handle it uh yeah I can handle sex symbol that's not what I'm after in my life you know I mean I die I turned down all the jump films and all that you know the teen idol films for so many years in order to try to build a respect as an actor you know so it's respected as an actor I want not to be a sex symbol if that happens fine if it gets me gets me more of the kind of roles that I want to do great if it goes with the territory you'll take yeah okay thank you thank you the number of the rooms just since day one so yeah I guess the only reason why I would be excited for that to happen is more box office you are the the more eight projects you can no pooling it's like I thought for a long time that wow once you get up you know to this level you're you know you're scot-free and everything's gonna work real well it's doesn't happen that way you know at first I was competing with Travolta and Kurt Russell and Dennis Quaid and these guys I thought wow now that I'm getting you know getting the roles over them wonderful but it's not that way all you do is move to the next level of compete you know is like now I'm competing with Jeff Bridges and William Hurt and these guys and hopefully the next level I'll be competing with Pacino and De Niro up Logan we're in different categories you know it's you know interesting over the years because you have to you have to choose films that you think are going to get you to that place even if they have some exploitive qualities to them or something just just to get the world on who you are first really I was scared that know whether I would measure up or not is she a warm person or is she kind of a little aloof so incredibly warm I mean it has such she's got the kind of eyes that you couldn't lie to even if you wanted to yeah yeah that's nice to hear I've never met her because then she and she's so quiet and you feel strange because she just you know ask you know say something we'll ask her a question she'll take forever to answer before she ever starts you me uh-huh and she just got these penetrating eyes that just feel like they're going down into your soul um I really really love her oh that's nice to hear neatest people I've ever had the opportunity to work with very very serious about her work and real caring person okay Patrick do you have a problem with this title dirty dancing I hate the title dancing I think it's absolutely terrible that's good that's enough okay has Red Dawn helped or hurt your career it's definitely helped it because you know it has Co falls over the world now yet okay that's fine all right what about North and South helped or hurt definitely helped it's going crazy all over the world the second toilet hours he's just getting ready to be released worldwide okay it's fine all right Patrick what sort of long range plans do you and your wife have for your careers production company directing writing music business horses okay what's the dancing I mean you started with dancing and then became an actor but not many people know that you're a dancer no can't be quiet for a long time that's why that's okay um all right okay if there are any particular kind of film that you'd like to make sure you answer that question yeah the Western let me give it to you again yeah yeah that you'd like to bring back Western okay if there any particular kind of film that you'd like to be in I'd like to be responsible on some level for bringing back westerns musicals okay I didn't say is a I'd love to do something like an elephant man that's completely dependent on your town not what you look like okay why don't we just do some reactions now and you can say anything you want to in Africa yeah okay tell me about Africa okay oh it's Africa's absolutely wonderful we are it really really did a lot of things for us because there's something just like there's this deep passion in Africa it we shot in Namibia north of South Africa and in the desert sand dunes the oldest desert in the world the Kalahari Desert where the colors I mean that's blood red sands and the colors were will change drastically I mean these phenomenal earth tones and levels of color that I don't think you find anywhere else in the world not not definitely not a set of deserts in California but we live we lived we lived in them we thought we're going to like be camping out and we lived in this beautiful little thatched cottage on this Lagoon which is I found out it's one of the most famous windsurfing spots in the world with thousands of thousands full mingos right outside and it was so romantic just to be there with Lisa much this be doing a film together yeah you know at least I worked really well together we consider each other our creative partners and I think that's why our relationship has lasted so long because you kept focus on the friendship and get focused on moving forward together not you know separating I think a lot of times it's the very first thing in a relationship that goes out the window is the friendship and that's usually why you know people are drawn together I think more so that that's then sexual reasons yet was she a dancer originally yes she dances my mother's company in Houston uh-huh and we danced she was my partner in New York for a long time I was in the arc for three years and then she came up and we went to Harkness on a scholarship where I was at we went to Joffrey together yeah and then she went off indeed hellzapoppin the journey lasted about that oh and I wouldn't Elliot fell huh you heard about what happened with Baryshnikov was supposed to dance what which night is he was supposed to come there's you know is this coming yeah this week yes right well he apparently injured out that's okay Lind I think we're all right

Channel: No Name

Views: 448,471

Keywords: Patrick Swayze, Dirty Dancing, 1987

Id: Cij1T-c3ci8

Length: 27min 9sec (1629 seconds)

Published: Tue Jan 26 2016