Secrets of Dirty Dancing

Roughing up the makeup

Cynthia Rhodes was a beautiful actress and even without makeup, she always managed to look radiant and gorgeous. For this reason, it required a lot of makeup to make her look roughed up and exhausted while playing Penny, Johnny’s dance partner who had undergone a botched abortion.

The makeup department gave her bags under her eyes, made her complexion pale and roughed up her hair as if she hadn’t brushed it in a long time. In the end, they managed to get the look they wanted to achieve on screen.