Not since George Clooney in ER has a man ever made scrubs so sexy -
We chat to hot doc of the day, Patrick Dempsey about playing
Grey's Anatomy's Dr McDreamy...
Q: What's the appeal of GREY'S ANATOMY that has made it so popular?
A: 'It's fast paced, it's gripping, it has great music and it's compelling to watch with great characters. It is interesting because all the characters are completely dysfunctional. There's a lot going on and visually it has a nice look to it. The drama is inherent in any medical series. People enjoy this subject and they are intrigued by medicine. And our show has good characters. '
Q: How much medical research have you done for the role over the past few years?
A: 'Initially I did a lot. I witnessed brain surgery. It was fascinating to see how calm these surgeons were. The real talent comes with diagnosing the problem.'
Q: Do you get treated better yourself when you are in a hospital - for instance for the birth of your sons, do people love to have you in their care?
A: 'I get incredible service. I definitely have access to very good doctors - they like to take care of me and my family, that is the upside - the best side of playing a doctor on television. You do get treated very well indeed.'
Q: What is it about your character that has made him so popular?
A: 'It's been really shocking to me how much people like my character. I think there is something glamorous about a young neuro surgeon and viewers really love the relationship that he has with Meredith. There is something about the fact that he is a guy who really likes the outdoors, he is confident without being cocky, he is understanding and sensitive and compassionate and romantic - all those things. He's also flawed, he has his issues.'
Q: What is it like becoming a heartthrob since the start of the show?
A: 'I think it is the projection of who the character is, what type of person he is and the way the writing has supported that. That is what viewers want. It isn't anything to do with me personally. I take the ‘heartthrob thing' with a grain of salt, it is just a character, not who I am. It is the idealized man in many respects. Initially that is how Shepherd was created. He's a doctor, an authority figure and there a lot of factors that contribute to the way that a character becomes appealing."
Q: Obviously it takes a handsome actor though, to play a role like this convincingly?
A: "I always find it funny when people say that I am handsome or I am perceived in that way. It makes me wonder whom are they talking to, it's interesting. But my character is really a mythical man and a certain archetype that feeds into a lot of fantasies. There are a lot of men out there considered in that way - as handsome men: George Clooney is handsome in the classic sense. I am just average looking, not anything to write home about. But it's fun and it is certainly nice to have the attention.'
Q: Are you glad this happened now you are a bit older rather than being plunged into the spotlight in your 20s?
A: 'Absolutely. I have a family, a wife who is outside the business and all that keeps me balanced and I am so glad this happened at this particular point in my life, because I realize what's going on. I know what I have to do and how to deal with the attention. I know the pitfalls of fame. I am much better equipped now to handle all this than when I was in my 20s.'
Q: Where would you like to live?
A: 'I would love to go back to Maine. I also love England though and could live quite happily in the English countryside, I think the Cotswolds are very beautiful, I love the sensibility of the architecture in England and the climate - I don't mind rain and cold, so I would consider moving there. It was nice to go riding with my daughter when we were there, she loves horses and it is lovely to be in nature around animals in the peace and quiet. But it is so expensive there. The older I get, the more I want to return to the lifestyle I had growing up, as a small kid, playing in the woods and the fields and being around animals. In your 20s you want to be in the city but now I've had that experience I want to raise my family in a very simple, quiet way. '
Q: Other than acting and family - you have a passion for car racing, what is it about the sport that interests you so much?
A: 'I love the challenge it provides, I enjoy the camaraderie too. I have known a lot of the guys I race with for five or six years, prior to the success of the show. They keep me very grounded. Racing is a great escape from Hollywood, it's a great sport and I really love it. It is challenging mentally and physically. It can be dangerous but I enjoy the escape, it helps me to wind down. My wife is aware of the dangers but she knows that for me it is such a great release and calms me down.'
Q: Did you want to act as a child?
A: 'I always enjoyed performing but was actually in a vaudeville group as a teenager, I was a juggler. I won second place in the international juggling competition junior division and that set me on the acting path. The juggling is fun - it's great for my little girl, she likes to juggle too.'
Grey's Anatomy Series 3 is released on DVD, 15th September
