How Patrick Dempsey Feels About His Grey’s Anatomy Character Today

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For Patrick Dempsey, it’ll always be a beautiful day to save lives. 

More than a decade after leaving Grey’s Anatomy, the actor shared that people still often mistake him for a doctor, a result of his long-running role on the Shonda Rhimes series.

Patrick shared in a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter that the show has inspired countless people to pursue careers in the field. He described it as a timeless classic that continues to have a lasting impact, calling that a ‘beautiful legacy’.

Patrick also mentioned he uses the fame he gained from playing ‘McDreamy’ with stars like Ellen Pompeo, Eric Dane, Sandra Oh, and Justin Chambers to help promote his cancer nonprofit, The Dempsey Center.

Although the actor is now 60 and his character passed away on the show back in 2014 during season 11, he feels a part of him will always be connected to the iconic ferry boat scrub cap his character wore.

Honestly, I’ve known for a while now that he was ready to move on and try new things, and it’s so great to see him getting the chance! He’s always been such a talented actor, and I’m really excited for him to explore different roles. It’s been amazing watching his career grow, and he truly deserves all the recognition and opportunities he’s been getting. It feels like a real gift to see him have this kind of platform to showcase his range.

Patrick remains close to the people he met while working on Grey’s Anatomy. He recently shared his memories of his former co-star, Eric, who played Dr. Mark Sloan for seven seasons and sadly passed away last month after a battle with ALS.

Patrick fondly remembered him as “the funniest man” during a recent interview on Virgin Radio UK. He described working with him as a joy and said he always brought a lot of fun to the set, and that’s how he wants to remember him.

Patrick Dempsey still fondly remembers and enjoys playing opposite Ellen Pompeo, who plays Dr. Meredith Grey. He was particularly happy to return for a special dream sequence during the show’s 2021 COVID-19 season.

He told Variety in 2021 that he felt the ending was lovely and hopeful, especially considering how well-known the couple was.

To dive into more Grey’s Anatomy lore, keep reading…

The first episode of Grey’s Anatomy started with a surprise for new intern Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo): she discovered that the attractive man she’d spent the night with – played by Patrick Dempsey – was actually her new boss, the famous Dr. Derek Shepherd. Talk about an awkward beginning!

Viewers were as shocked as Meredith when Addison Montgomery (Kate Walsh) unexpectedly arrived at Seattle Grace and confronted her and Derek with the famous line, “You must be the woman who’s been sleeping with my husband.”

In its second season, Grey’s Anatomy aired after the Super Bowl and immediately grabbed viewers’ attention with a dramatic scene: Meredith stuck her hand inside a patient to prevent a live explosive from going off. Just when everyone breathed a sigh of relief as the bomb squad chief, Dylan (played by Kyle Chandler), carried the explosive away, it detonated, tragically injuring him.

Viewers became invested in the romance between Izzie (Katherine Heigl) and Denny Duquette (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) as he waited for a heart transplant during the second half of season two, rooting for them to find happiness together. However, when Izzie’s desperate attempt to get him moved up the transplant list backfired and led to his death in the season finale, it became clear that Grey’s Anatomy wasn’t afraid to break hearts and didn’t guarantee happy endings.

Season three’s ferry accident featured two shocking moments: Meredith being thrown into the icy water and almost drowning, and her even more surprising confession that she’d actually stopped fighting to stay alive. Which of these was more shocking?

At the start of season three, Lexie Grey (Chyler Leigh) joined Seattle Grace Hospital as an intern. Her arrival echoed Derek’s first meeting with Meredith – they had a similar initial encounter the night before she started, though thankfully, it didn’t lead to anything romantic! She quickly introduced herself to George O’Malley in the intern locker room. As it turned out, Lexie was Meredith’s younger half-sister, one of two daughters raised by their father, Thatcher, and his second wife, Susan, adding another layer to the hospital’s complex relationships.

Over two and a half seasons after his character died, Denny Duquette reappeared on the show as a ghost – and in a shockingly bizarre storyline, he had a romantic encounter with Izzie Stevens. This unbelievable scene wasn’t just for shock value; it subtly hinted to both Izzie and the audience that something was seriously wrong with her health. It was eventually revealed she had advanced melanoma, stage IV, which had spread to her brain and other parts of her body.

Everyone thought Izzie was going to die in the season five finale, but the mystery surrounding George’s disappearance should have hinted that something was wrong with him. When Meredith recognized the handwriting of the unidentified patient hit by a bus – the number 007, a nickname from his past – she desperately tried to warn the surgeons, but they couldn’t save him. He died on the operating table.

One of the most shocking moments in Grey’s Anatomy history happened in the season six finale. A grieving widower, fueled by loss and arriving after the hospital merged with Mercy West, came to the hospital with a gun. The result was devastating: several doctors were killed or hurt, and the scene of Bailey being pulled from under a bed is unforgettable. While Bailey survived, Meredith and Derek’s baby didn’t. Meredith believed Derek had been killed and tragically suffered a miscarriage after he was shot.

Just two seasons after a devastating shooting at the hospital, Shonda Rhimes created another major crisis for her doctors. In the season eight finale, a plane carrying Meredith, Derek, Cristina Yang, Lexie, Mark Sloan, and Arizona Robbins crashed while they were traveling to Boise, Idaho for a surgery. They were left stranded and injured, and no one knew they were missing. The crash tragically killed Lexie and Mark, resulted in Arizona losing her leg, and nearly cost Derek the use of his hand.

When Sandra Oh decided to leave Grey’s Anatomy after season 10, the show found a dramatic way to say goodbye to her character, Cristina Yang. They brought back Isaiah Washington as Preston Burke – the man who left her at the altar years earlier – and had him offer her ownership of his hospital in Switzerland. Many were surprised by the return of Washington, considering he had been written off the show after using a hateful slur against his co-star, T.R. Knight.

The season 10 finale of the show saw Cristina leave and Dr. Maggie Pierce, played by Kelly McCreary, join as the new head of cardio-thoracic surgery. In a surprising reveal at the end of the episode, Maggie told Richard (James Pickens Jr.) she was the daughter of the famous Dr. Ellis Grey, asking if he knew her. This news shocked Richard, as he learned he had another daughter, and Meredith discovered she had a sister.

As a lifestyle expert, I remember when Derek’s death on Grey’s Anatomy completely shocked everyone. It happened towards the end of season 11, and honestly, no one saw it coming! What made it even more surprising was that Patrick Dempsey had just renewed his contract, so it felt so sudden. While Shonda Rhimes likely felt it was the only way to realistically move the story forward after eleven seasons of a beautiful love story, and still honor it, it was still incredibly painful for viewers – and a really bold move for television.

Mer had already faced so much, but in the twelfth season’s ninth episode, she experienced a terrifying attack by a patient. The assault resulted in a broken jaw that had to be wired shut to repair her hearing. A particularly powerful scene featured Ellen Pompeo portraying Mer’s panic when her children weren’t able to visit her while she recovered.

The show addressed Alex Karev’s unexpected departure after Justin Chambers left by revealing he’d reconnected with his ex-wife, Izzie, years after she disappeared and filed for divorce. He discovered she’d been secretly raising their twins on a farm, and he chose to be with them instead of continuing his life in Seattle. It was a completely surprising twist for viewers!

During season 17, viewers saw Dr. Andrea “Andrew” DeLuca (Giacomo Gianniotti) tragically die. After working through personal mental health challenges, DeLuca had become an attending physician at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital. However, true to the style of Grey’s Anatomy, his progress was cut short when he was fatally stabbed by someone connected to a human trafficking operation.

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2026-03-17 18:19