Patrick Swayze’s Widow Gives Her Brutally Honest Opinion on the Upcoming ‘Dirty Dancing’ Sequel

Lisa Niemi Swayze, who was married to Patrick Swayze for 34 years, has gotten the chance to read the new Dirty Dancing script. Although some fans were skeptical about making a sequel to the beloved film without one of its original stars, Lisa revealed that she appreciated the way the film incorporated her husband into the story.

“I actually got to read the script,” she exclusively told Us Weekly. “I was very moved by it.” She went on to say, “I’ll be very curious to see how it comes about. I wish [them] the best of luck. They’ve been working on it [for] quite a while. And I can’t wait to see it.”

In the original 1987 film, Patrick played Johnny Castle, a camp dance instructor who falls in love with Frances “Baby” Houseman, played by Jennifer Grey. Earlier this year, Grey revealed that she was going to be reprising her role in an upcoming sequel.

“The role of Baby has held a very deep and meaningful place in my heart, as it has in the hearts of so many fans over the years,” she told Deadline in January. “I’ve long wondered where we might find Baby years later and what her life might be like, but it’s taken time to assemble the kind of people that I felt could be entrusted to build on the legacy of the original film … and I’m excited to say that It looks like the wait will soon be over.”

Related: The ‘Ultimate Romantic Disaster’ Movie Was Released 18 Years Ago Today

When some fans voiced their disappointment in the sequel, since Patrick would not be involved, Grey reassured them by saying, “All I can say is there is no replacing anyone who’s passed. You never try to repeat anything that’s magic like that. You just go for something different.”

Patrick died in 2009 after a battle with pancreatic cancer, but he is still making an impact to this day. Lisa revealed, “People will say, ‘Patrick was my favorite actor. I was so in love with Patrick when I was X years old.’ And I just love it that people still love them so much. My response always is, ‘You have really good taste.’”