In the movie "Dirty Dancing," Baby (Frances Houseman) is 17 years old, and Johnny Castle is 25 years old. This means there is an eight-year age difference between the two main characters. Baby is a sheltered recent high school graduate planning to attend college, while Johnny is a dance instructor born in 1938, making him 25 during the summer of 1963 when the film is set. The age gap has been a subject of discussion and is considered legal but somewhat controversial given Baby's minor status at 17 and Johnny's adult age of 25.
