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Why Patrick Dempsey Cried Filming His 'Grey's Anatomy' Season 17 Cameos
Patrick Dempsey is just as emotional about his final Grey's Anatomy appearance as we are. Watching Derek Shepherd and Meredith Grey get closure after Derek's tragic death in season 11 was a welcomed surprise for fans. It was also a chance for Dempsey to reunite with Ellen Pompeo since he left the show six years ago.
“We all cried at the beginning and we hugged each other,” Patrick Dempsey tells Variety. “It was really for us to get the message out there to wear a mask, take care of yourself. Ellen and I were like, ‘What can we do together to make some impact here?’ That was in the spring around this time last year. It just was a positive action that reverberates into more positive action.”
This season's storyline focuses on Meredith's COVID-19 diagnosis. During her coma, she is between life and death or dreaming (depending on what you believe), and she escapes to a beautiful beach amid the pandemic where pain doesn't exist.
“The intention was to really give people some hope because they are such an iconic couple,” Dempsey added of the decision to bring Derek to the beach. "We’ve lost so many people this year, the thought that we’d have angels hovering around us taking care of us is a good message to send out in such a bleak world that we’re living in. So for all of us, it was a beautiful ending to this story. I’m so grateful that I did it and happy that the fans really loved it.”
When it comes to possibly returning to the show again, he's leaving that door open. The Enchanted sequel star says, “Who knows? Never say never with this show, right? I’m glad we did it this year. And Krista Vernoff did a fantastic job telling the story. It was just a great way to give people some hope.”
Grey's Anatomy returns May 6 at 9 p.m. ET on ABC.
This story originally appeared on: Glamour - Author:Paulina Jayne Isaac
