Patrick Dempsey’s shocking confession about McDreamy will change how you view Grey’s Anatomy forever!

 

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

Over 10 years after the Grey’s Anatomy star exited the Shonda Rhimes series, he reflected on his ongoing connection to the show, admitting many fans still “perceive” him as a real doctor.

“So many people have gone into the profession because of that show, continually,” Patrick explained in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter published March 16. “It’s an evergreen. It seems like it never goes away. I think that’s a really beautiful legacy.”

Indeed, Patrick noted he also uses the notoriety he’s gleaned from playing McDreamy alongside Ellen Pompeo, Eric Dane, Sandra Oh, Justin Chambers, and more, to spread awareness about his cancer nonprofit, The Dempsey Center.

And while the 60-year-old has long since left the series—his character died in season 11 in 2014—he knows that some part of him will always be wearing his ferry boat scrub cap.

“I accepted that a long time ago,” he emphasized. “It’s nice to be able to go and do something else—and to be allowed to do something else—and hopefully the audience will accept me and come along on these new journeys as an actor to explore different types of characters. But it’s really been a blessing to give me this kind of visibility and platform.”

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Of course, Patrick also continues to carry relationships he forged on the Grey’s set. After his costar Eric, who played Dr. Mark Sloan for seven seasons, died due to his ALS battle last month, Patrick reflected on their relationship on and off screen.

“He was the funniest man,” Patrick shared during a Feb. 20 appearance on Virgin Radio UK. “He’s such a joy to work with, and I want to just remember him in that spirit. Anytime he was on set, he brought so much fun to it.”

Meanwhile, the Memory of a Killer star also still picks, chooses and loves his on-screen wife Dr. Meredith Grey, played by Ellen. Indeed, Patrick noted he was “grateful” to reprise his character for a dream sequence Meredith had during the COVID-19 season in 2021.

“I thought it was a beautiful way to close it,” he told Variety in 2021. “The intention was to really give people some hope because they are such an iconic couple.”