Patrick Dempsey quickly became synonymous with his Grey's Anatomy character, Dr. Derek
"McDreamy" Shepherd, and when Dempsey left the show in 2015, viewers were devastated.
But this multi-hyphenate star has proven that he's more than just the formerly hottest doctor
on TV.
Here's what happened to Patrick Dempsey after he left Grey's.
One of Dempsey's first big, post-Grey's Anatomy projects was joining the cast of Bridget Jones's
Baby.
The actor played a pivotal role in the franchise's third movie, opposite Renée Zellweger and
Colin Firth.
Fans will know that at the end of the second film, Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, our
heroine is romantically involved with Firth's Mark Darcy.
However, by the third installment, Bridget and Mark have split up, and a reconciliation
seems all but impossible, which is where Dempsey's character, Jack, comes in.
"May I?"
"It fits"
While attending a music festival, Bridget has a fling with Jack, who is later revealed
to be a billionaire and the inventor of a successful dating app.
When Bridget becomes pregnant, she has to figure out whether Jack or Mark is the father.
"Who's the father?
Is it Mark's?"
"There's at least a 50 percent chance."
In 2016, Dempsey told The Sydney Morning Herald that joining the cast of the film was crucial
to furthering his career, revealing,
"In my career I have not really achieved what I want and what I feel I can do and where
I would like to go.
Bridget Jones was the right next step after Grey's and I'm letting people know I've not
quit acting."
We're more than a little relieved that this unlikely Hollywood heartthrob didn't stop
acting altogether, and he was most definitely a welcome addition to this classic rom-com
trilogy.
Before his departure from Grey's, Patrick's wife, Jillian, filed for divorce.
The Dempseys released a joint statement to TMZ in January 2015, where they said:
"It is with careful consideration and mutual respect that we have decided to end our marriage.
Our primary concern remains the well-being of our children, and we ask with profound
gratitude that you respect our family's privacy at this very sensitive time."
"You gotta communicate and stay open, you know?
And don't get lazy, that's the key.
And to not give up."
In a surprisingly un-Hollywood twist, the couple then decided to give things another
go.
When asked by the Evening Standard in May 2016 if he'd now reconciled with his wife,
Patrick replied quote, "Yeah, I think so."
And by that September he told People magazine,
"Our marriage was not something I was prepared to let go of.
I didn't feel like we had done all the work.
And we both wanted to do that work.
That's where it started.
You can only do one thing at a time and do it well."
"The most important thing in my life is my family, my kids, and my wife."
Good Housekeeping reports that Jillian called off the divorce in 2016, and the couple celebrated
their 20th anniversary in 2019.
Dempsey may have appeared on Grey's Anatomy for over a decade, but that doesn't mean he's
still besties with his former co-stars.
Lead actress Ellen Pompeo revealed in an interview on Red Table Talk that she had not talked
with her former on-screen husband since he left.
But she claims they're still friends, or at least cordial to each other, adding,
"I have no hard feelings toward him, he's a wonderful actor and we made, you know, the
best TV you could make together."
Whether or not Dempsey is still on good terms with the show's creator, Shonda Rhimes, is
less clear, due to rumors about his alleged on-set behavior supposedly getting him written
off the show.
Just ahead of his Grey's exit, a source cited by Page Six claimed,
"Patrick has been acting like a diva and has clashed with Shonda.
She suspended him for a while, and the word on set is that he isn't coming back full time."
Now that he's no longer working on one of TV's most popular shows, Dempsey has more
time to focus on new creative endeavors.
And according to the actor, that has meant getting more involved with the content he
makes.
In 2016, he told the Independent,
"There's a tremendous amount of material I'm developing that is really more cable oriented.
I think that would be the thing next, producing and directing and putting the team together,
certainly."
To start, Dempsey produced and starred in the TV mini-series The Truth About the Harry
Quebert Affair.
Released in 2018, it profiles a writer embroiled in the investigation of the killing of a teenage
girl.
Since then, he's continued producing by helping to get the movie version of the novel, The
Art of Racing in the Rain, filmed.
He also put on his producer's hat for the documentary Hurley, which delves into the
personal life of American race car driver Hurley Haywood.
In 2017, it was rumored that Dempsey would direct part of the 2019 anthology, Berlin,
I Love You, via Screen Daily.
While his first directing gig never came to fruition, it might be a sign that Dempsey
hopes to move into directing his own creative projects.
Dempsey's greatest passion may not be acting, but rather, the sport of car racing.
"For me racing has really helped me as a person and as an individual, because it tests me
in ways that nothing else does."
However, following reports that his wife had filed for divorce due to the quote "strain
of his motoring obsession," per the Evening Standard.
Dempsey confirmed his decision to hit pause on his high-speed life, telling The Sydney
Morning Herald:
"It's an incredible sport and I would love to do nothing more than that.
But it's all-consuming and I have three children and I don't want to give up that moment in
time because they will be out the door and gone before you know it."
According to Motorsport.com, Dempsey left his racing career after some major accomplishments,
having won the, quote, "Fuji round of the 2015 FIA World Endurance Championship" and
taken second place in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
"I like taking the time I don't like to rush."
As for whether Dempsey plans to return to racing in the future, only time will tell.
Clearly not satisfied with simply being an actor, producer, director, and race car driver,
Dempsey decided to break into the world of fashion, too.
In 2018, The Hollywood Reporter revealed that the former Grey's star had collaborated with
Bleusalt to launch a sustainable clothing line.
He said in a statement,
"I live in my Bleusalt and it was a pleasure to design a collection of my own that I could
wear all day, every day, whether I'm lounging around the house, going out, or traveling.
I hope you enjoy this collection as much as I do."
According to its official site, the Bleusalt brand had been launched the year before by
Lyndie Benson, a Malibu resident passionate about making use of the, quote, "sustainable
botanic fibers of the beech tree" to create environmentally-friendly, chic clothing.
"Something that's been very important to me throughout my life is quality.
I seem to have a need for that."
Women's Wear Daily reports that Dempsey's collaboration happened organically since he
and wife Jillian are neighbors of Benson.
The couple became part of a celebrity contingent, along with the likes of Kris Jenner and Cindy
Crawford, who helped to promote the brand in its early days.
The outlet reported,
"Dempsey suggested designing a collection of pieces that could take him from beach to
plane to meeting without ever having to change."
In November 2019, Dempsey was invited to be the No Hate November keynote speaker at Bowdoin
College.
Dempsey opened up about how his own dyslexia diagnosis impacted his education and subsequent
career after dropping out of high school and moving to New York to pursue acting.
Dempsey said of his time on Grey's,
"I would dread going to work.
The medical terminology during table reads was painful…I don't want to explain my disability
to anyone, [which makes] it hard to ask for help sometimes.
But you always have to ask for help."
Dempsey's mother tragically lost her 17-year battle with ovarian cancer in 2014.
But while she was on her journey, Patrick founded the Dempsey Center in his hometown
of Lewiston, Maine, to support those living with the disease and their families, by offering
quality of life care at zero cost.
"This is real life.
When you encounter someone who's just been recently diagnosed.
That's a profound moment."
Opening up about the organization to People magazine following The Atlantic's People versus
Cancer event in November 2019, the actor said,
"I'm really grateful to be a part of this, and to see the impact the center is making
within the community and the state of Maine is a beautiful thing."
As for why it was important for the star to give back to the community that had supported
his mother, Dempsey said at the event,
"When there is a cancer diagnosis in the family, it's devastating and you're never the same
after that, you're changed in a profound way.
But through her experience, we've created the Dempsey Center in her memory, and hopefully
we're improving people's lives."
"Three, two, one, here we go."
Since founding the center, the actor has also initiated the Dempsey Challenge, which encourages
people to walk, run, or bike for charity.
In October 2019, the event raised over $1.2 million for the cause.
In addition to moving behind the scenes on his TV and movie projects, Dempsey has also
made a conscious effort to collaborate with international partners.
At the 2019 premiere of his Sky Italia thriller Devils, the actor told Deadline,
"Everyone's making their own projects from France to Italy, they're no longer just waiting
for the American market so I think it's really important that we start collaborating internationally
and use [our] visibility to cross pollinate.
It's an incredible time because there are so many stories to be told, depending on which
country you're from with young filmmakers and writers."
Considering that Dempsey is now a free agent, it seems that this actor is focused on collaborating,
both at home and abroad.
Disney's Enchanted came out in 2007 and was arguably a precursor to the studio's success
with live-action versions of its animated classics like Aladdin and Beauty and the Beast.
The film tells the story of Princess Giselle who has to leave her animated home, for New
York City.
While James Marsden portrays the stereotypical prince, Dempsey plays divorce attorney Robert
Philip, the cynical love interest Giselle meets in the real world.
"Oh I hope you had nice dreams."
"I think I'm still in one."
A sequel to the movie has long been rumored, but it's not yet come to fruition.
However, Dempsey suggested that he'd return for a second installment should it happen,
telling Entertainment Tonight in 2018,
"I think it's such a beloved movie we need to make sure it's right before we move forward."
Adding further fuel to the sequel speculation, he revealed that the team at Disney was apparently,
quote, "in the process of working on the book, the lyrics and the musical aspects."
For Dempsey, the return of the original cast would be key.
He explained,
"Amy was remarkable in that film and she's an incredible actress, and James Marsden as
well.
We'll see."
Since he left Grey's in 2015, Dempsey has gone through some major life changes, and
it seems as though the actor has reevaluated what's important to him, from his marriage
to his acting career.
While he claims he was grateful for the opportunity on Grey's, he told ABC News,
"I have time to feel and think and be much more thoughtful in the choices I make.
Before, you were on such a treadmill, just trying to keep up.
It's like running a marathon."
In 2018, the star opened up about his future plans, telling InStyle,
"I feel optimistic about what's still to come.
And I try to remind myself to be in the present, [and] not worry about the past or the future."
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