Former Pussycat Dolls star Nicole Scherzinger almost turned down the chance to join the cast of the Dirty Dancing TV remake after learning her character aborted a baby.
Scherzinger admits she worried her character Penny Rivera’s actions would promote abortion in the TV movie, and her core values turned her against portraying her.
“I was like a crazy thing because my papa’s a bishop and my family is really hardcore against abortion,” Nicole tells The Sun.
“I got the role and I almost didn’t take it because I didn’t want to promote abortion because my character has an abortion.
“But I was like, ‘Hopefully they (viewers) can learn from her ways and I can be a positive influence’.”
The film became a very personal project for the 38-year-old, who was the product of a teen romance: “My mum got pregnant with me when she was 17 and had me when she was 18,” Nicole adds. “She chose. Her parents were never going to let her have an abortion so I came out. I just want to encourage everybody to keep your babies.”
Scherzinger has joined Debra Messing, Sarah Hyland, Abigail Breslin, Katey Sagal, Bruce Greenwood, and Jennifer Lopez’s dancer ex-Beau Casper Smart for the TV remake of the 1987 movie, which starred the late Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey.
Cynthia Rhodes portrayed Penny in the original movie.
Meanwhile, Scherzinger’s acting career is currently on a real high after landing the role of Sina in Disney’s new animated hit Moana. The Don’t Cha singer’s film has spent the past three weeks at the top of the North American box office.
