The man much thinner and wearier than we remember from the "Dirty Dancing" days tells Barbara Walters in a candid interview that airs tonight on "20/20" that he is scared and angry as he battles the fate of pancreatic cancer. Swayze says:

There’s a lot of fear here … I’m scared. Yeah, I’m angry. Yeah, I’m asking, "Why me?" … I’d say five years is pretty wishful thinking. Two years seems likely if you’re going to believe the statistics. I want to last until they find a cure, which means I better get a fire under it.

With great optimism and strength, he has been able to continue working. So even though he’s not as healthy as the handsome star he was in past movies, he’s just as strong and passionate. The 56-year-old spends long days on the set for a new TV series called "The Beast," an A & E drama about an FBI agent haunted by internal demons. In real life, Swayze fights internal demons of his own. Most patients with advanced-stage pancreatic cancer die within six months of diagnosis. Swayze was diagnosed last January and the malignant tumor on his pancreas spread to his liver. He says he responded well to the first round of chemotherapy until it gradually became less effective. Now, he’s begun a new treatment and continues with a positive outlook. He says:

You can bet that I’m going through hell. I’m at the beginning of my battle. And I expect it to be a long, hard battle, one that I’m going to win. I keep my heart and my soul and my spirit open to miracles. I pray.

Our prayers are with Swayze, his wife, Lisa Niemi, and everyone else touched by the disease. The "20/20" interview airs tonight on ABC at 10 PM ET.

Click here for more of the candid interview.