The Derek depicter says the decision to write out his character of the show just took place a few months ago and 'it just sort of unfolded in a very organic way.'
- Apr 25, 2015
AceShowbiz - Patrick Dempsey talks about his exit from "Grey's Anatomy" following the heartbreaking death of Derek "McDreamy" Shepherd that left fans devastated. The actor says the decision to kill off his character just took place several months ago.
"I don't remember the date. It was not in the fall. Maybe February or March. ... Things happened very quickly. We were like, 'Oh, this is where it's going to go,' " Dempsey says with a blank stare. "It just sort of unfolded in a very organic way. ... It happened very quickly."
While he didn't have a say in the abrupt decision, Dempsey wasn't surprised by the plot development for his character. "There wasn't a lot of discussion," he tells Entertainment Weekly, "It was just a natural progression. And the way everything was unfolding in a very organic way, it was like, okay! This was obviously the right time."
Dempsey says there was no grand farewell on his last day filming for the show. He recalls, "It was very quiet. It was very poetic. I got in my car, got in rush-hour traffic, and two hours later I was home."
The motor racing maniac gets emotional when talking about his character's relationship with Ellen Pompeo's Meredith Grey. "What made his relationship on screen with Ellen Pompeo so compelling was 'beautiful chemistry,' " he says with teary eyes, "It's magic. We're like a married couple. It's 10 years, and it was magic from the beginning."
On what he will do next post-"Grey's", Dempsey says, "I'm focusing now on developing and racing and being a father to my children. Those are my priorities." As for his next job, "I would commit to a show that is 10 to 12 episodes, but 24 again...I don't know if I would do that. It's a very hard life. It's financially rewarding, but there comes a point where, how much is enough, really?"
He adds, "I want to try something different. But will I be allowed to do something different? Is Derek so identifiable that I can't go on and be someone else? That will be the challenge. To see if people embrace me as someone else."
The 49-year-old is thankful to be part of the show, saying, "It's remarkable to be a working actor, and then on top of that to be on a show that's visible. And then on top of that to be a phenomenal show that's known around the world, and -playing a character who is beloved around the world. ... It's very heady. You never know whether you will work again and have success again."
Derek was killed off in the latest episode titled "How to Save a Life" which aired on April 23, after he got involved in a car accident. He had been part of the show since the series debut in 2005.
