Patrick Dempsey Reveals Which Roles He's Recognized for the Most — and It's Not Always "Grey's Anatomy"

12/06/2024 03:34 PM

Dempsey shared that his teenage romantic comedy days often get fans more excited

Patrick Dempsey's role as McDreamy — a.k.a. Dr. Derek Shepherd — on Grey's Anatomy might be his most iconic, but it's not always the one he's recognized for the most.

In a Dec. 4 interview with Parade, Dempsey, 58, explained that when people recognize him, "it depends on your generation."

"Like early on, Can't Buy Me Love was a big one, and you can always tell how old the person is by that and some other things," he said. He added that in 2023 he starred in the movies Thanksgiving and Ferrari, and he's gotten noticed for those as well, too. 

Related: Patrick Dempsey Says His Mom's Cancer 'Really Woke Me Up to the Impact' the Illness Can Have on a Family (Exclusive)

Dempsey starred in Can't Buy Me Love alongside Amanda Peterson way back in 1987 when he was just 20 years old. In the teen rom-com, he played a nerd, Ronald, who pays a cheerleader $1,000 to pretend to be his girlfriend. As his popularity rises — aided in part by a totally '80s makeover — the pair form a real bond. In the movie's iconic ending, the two ride off into the sunset on Ronald's lawn mower.

Dempsey told Parade he was especially proud of The Dempsey Center, a nonprofit hospital in rural Maine that aims to improve cancer care. Thanks to Grey's Anatomy, people already associate him with doctors and medicine. He called it "the amazing power of television around the world" to be able to use the show to talk about his work at the center.

In addition to his work with the center, Dempsey appears in the upcoming series Dexter: Original Sin, a prequel to Dexter. He told PEOPLE in October that the culture on set of the Showtime and Paramount+ show was "one of great celebration, joy and fun."

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"I think coming out of the [2023 actors and writers] strike, we're all truly grateful that we have employment, because the business hasn't really come back to where it was before," he explained. "I'm just really grateful to have a job, and I'm really enjoying it. We've been in the business long enough now, over 30 years, where we really appreciate it and look at it differently."

Last year, Dempsey was named PEOPLE's Sexiest Man Alive. Catching up with PEOPLE this November, before the 2024 winner was announced, Dempsey joked the title made him "more anxiety-ridden," adding, "I needed to stay in shape, to train more."

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"But it's amazing the reach it has," he explained. "I think it's a tremendous platform to do something positive with ... It's allowed me to talk about The Dempsey Center."

"Fame in itself is quite empty, but if you can do something, and you can be of service, that is truly what life is about and gives you meaning and joy," he explained.

Dexter: Original Sin premieres Dec. 13 on Paramount+ and Dec. 15 on Showtime.