‘Grey’s Anatomy’ season 10: Patrick Dempsey on racing vs. being TV doctor
It’s always interesting to us to see what happens when it comes to internet backlash, especially when we are living in the age of the sensitive. It seems almost like people these days just want to have an excuse to be upset, and then start to fume up when someone travels off the beaten path.
Take, for example, the comments made this week by Patrick Dempsey at TCA about playing the part of Derek on “Grey’s Anatomy” compared to his upcoming Velocity Channel miniseries “Patrick Dempsey: Racing LeMans,” which is all about his attempts to train and prepare for a famous race that lasts for a whopping 24 hours. There are some folks out there taking the following quote as some sort dig at his day job, but we don’t really see it quite the same way:
“I’m not the creator, I’m not the writer, so it’s a trade. And that’s fine. But when you’ve been on a show (for nearly 200 episodes), it’s about surviving. You find ways to turn yourself on with the material you’re given…For me at this point, there’s not a lot of homework that goes into it. You learn your lines and try to be present and try not to get caught acting. I’m glad I have the gig, but it’s not the same as being in a race car. It’s just not.”
Here’s how we read this: It’s hard to get yourself invigorated when you’re doing the same thing for ten years, regardless of whether or not you’re making a TV show or pushing papers. It can feel like a routine. It’s not a burn on the show’s writing, mostly since Dempsey has clearly had opportunities to leave the show if he didn’t want to be there, and he clearly doesn’t need the money anymore.
What it seems to be is a clear recognition that he, like many others, has a hobby that they enjoy more than their day job. His hobby just seems to be all about putting himself in dangerous positions, which we would be far more afraid about if we were the folks behind “Grey’s Anatomy” than any sort of other comment he was making.
Dempsey is currently in the process of shooting “Grey’s Anatomy” season 10, and there are already some details announced about what’s coming up for Derek and some other characters.
Photo: ABC