'It seems like it never goes away': Patrick Dempsey doesn't feel 'attachment' to Grey's Anatomy character
Grey's Anatomy star Patrick Dempsey no longer feels an "attachment" to his character, Derek 'McDreamy' Shepherd, but he admitted the neurosurgeon will "always" be part of his life.
Patrick Dempsey no longer feels an "attachment" to his Grey's Anatomy character.
The 60-year-old actor portrayed neurosurgeon Derek 'McDreamy' Shepherd in the medical drama from 2005 to 2015, before returning five years later for the 17th season.
But he admitted the character will "always" be a part of his life, and it gives him a platform for his Dempsey Center, a non-profit that offers comprehensive support services for cancer patients at no cost.
Asked if he still has any attachment to his character, Patrick told The Hollywood Reporter: "No, but what it does give me is a platform to help talk about the Dempsey Center and the work that is being done there.
"We’re talking in March right now, which is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month.
"People still perceive me in many ways [as a doctor on TV], and so many people have gone into the profession because of that show, continually. It’s an evergreen. It seems like it never goes away. I think that’s a really beautiful legacy - that more people are going into the profession to become doctors and nurses which we need, and then it brings awareness to the type of work that we’re doing at the centre. We don’t treat the disease; we treat the person holistically.
[Grey’s and Derek] will always be a part of my life.
"I accepted that a long time ago."
