Jennifer Grey said Matthew Broderick told her 'There's no way you're gonna get' the part of Baby in 'Dirty Dancing'

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Jennifer Grey said Matthew Broderick told her 'There's no way you're gonna get' the part of Baby in 'Dirty Dancing'
Matthew Broderick and Jennifer Grey attending the Academy Awards in 1987.Donaldson Collection/Getty Images
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In her new memoir, "Out of the Corner," Jennifer Grey gave a glimpse into the beginning of her relationship with Matthew Broderick.

She wrote that the night before her "Dirty Dancing" audition in 1986, her then-boyfriend Broderick told her, "There's no way you're gonna get it."

Grey explained that Broderick didn't want to go out with her the night before her audition, and that she had to keep pleading with him to join her. He finally agreed, but not before saying something that has stuck with Grey decades later.

"He said this odd thing, as if to reassure himself, like he wasn't aware he was using his 'out loud voice,'" Grey said. According to her, he said, "I don't know what I'm worried about. There's no way you're gonna get it. I'm sure they're seeing everybody for this part."

It's unclear why Grey thinks Broderick said this to her — whether it was to reassure himself, put her down, or as just a simple remark.

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Jennifer Grey said Matthew Broderick told her 'There's no way you're gonna get' the part of Baby in 'Dirty Dancing'
Broderick and Grey in "Ferris Bueller's Day Off," with Jeffrey Jones.Paramount Pictures

Grey and Broderick started having a "secret rendezvous" the year before, in 1985, toward the end of filming "Ferris Bueller's Day Off," in which the pair played teenage siblings.

"I was as surprised as anyone when our relationship morphed from on-screen sibling rivalry to off-screen illicit romance," she wrote, after describing him as a "grumpy grandpa." However, Grey also said that Broderick was seeing another woman, though he claimed the two weren't officially dating.

When they wrapped up filming their movie, Grey said she wanted to end their secret affair. "I realized I was in love with Matthew and told him I couldn't see him anymore," she said. But, instead of ending their relationship, "He promptly broke up with his 'close family friend' and we were together."

She said "Matthew just felt like my guy" and that "he felt like home." However, Grey also noted Broderick's mood swings. "He was a 24-year-old who could easily slip into the persona of a cranky old guy when it suited him," she added.

The pair were briefly engaged in 1988 but split up soon after.

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Broderick has not responded to Insider's request for comment.

"Out of the Corner" is out now.

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