Who Turned Down Dirty Dancing? The Shocking Truth

Patrick Swayze wasn’t the first choice to play Johnny Castle in *Dirty Dancing*. Billy Zane and Val Kilmer were both considered for the role. Billy Zane couldn’t quite convince the casting team that he could pull off the dancing scenes. Val Kilmer turned down the role, perhaps seeing it as a step down from his then-successful career. He might have been wrong, though, because the film went on to become a cultural phenomenon and cemented Patrick Swayze’s place as a Hollywood icon.

While Val Kilmer’s reasons for turning down the role are unknown, we can speculate. He was a rising star in Hollywood at the time and may have been looking for more serious roles. Dirty Dancing, while ultimately a huge success, was considered a low-budget, romantic drama. It’s possible that Val Kilmer felt the film wouldn’t do much for his career, or he might have simply not been interested in the role. The film’s director, Emile Ardolino, thought Kilmer would have been a great choice but ultimately went with Patrick Swayze. The rest, as they say, is history.