Patrick Dempsey leaves his McDreamy moniker for dead in Devils
Patrick Dempsey steps out of his comfort zone, swapping love scenes and stethoscopes for an the dark side of international finance in an intriguing new series
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It’s been five years since Patrick Dempsey hung up his hospital scrubs as Derek Shepherd in Shonda Rimes’ original drama hit, Grey’s Anatomy.
Despite making headlines with a cameo return for the show’s tearful farewell season, putting his most famous role behind him was almost a full-time job for the actor formerly known as McDreamy.
But all that is about to change, with Dempsey swapping love scenes and stethoscopes for the dark side of international finance in new BINGE series, Devils.
The 54-year-old plays Dominic Morgan, the controlling boss of Massimo Ruggero (Alessandro Borghi), a charismatic head of trading for a leading investment bank.
When Dominic promotes another colleague over Massimo after a particularly cutthroat power struggle, the latter finds himself in the frame for a murder.
The global thriller, filmed in Rome and London and features a vast international cast, follows Massimo’s journey to clear his name, which puts him on a collision course with his one-time mentor.
Based on the best-selling novel by former Italian banker Guido Maria Brera, Dempsey tells The BINGE Guide, taking the step outside his comfort zone and into a new world of intrigue was part of the production’s appeal.
“I was looking to do something that had a little bit more of a thriller aspect to it, a territory that was darker and less romantic,” the Can’t Buy Me Love, Sweet Home Alabama and Bridget Jones’ Baby star explains.
“And this came up and was a great opportunity to go to Rome and work in London, and I really enjoyed it.”
The seasoned actor says turning up to work with butterflies gave him “more reason to do it.”
“I think it’s good when there’s nerves before you begin shooting. This was a great script and an interesting idea and an interesting perspective on the story of the Great Crash [Global Financial Crisis] that we had from the European perspective.”
For the race car enthusiast, taking on the challenge of Italy’s chaotic traffic was another adrenalin kick he wasn’t counting on.
“Driving in Rome, it’s hair raising,” Dempsey enthuses, “it’s like a video game but it’s very real. I could get into it.”
With season two to begin filming next month amid further COVID lockdowns in Europe, Dempsey is keen to support the “cross-pollinating” production, which also co-stars Danish actor Lars Mikkelson (as Daniel Duval, leader of a powerful international group publishing secret financial information).
“They’ve been doing very well over there [in Italy], they’ve been shooting all through the summer. So I feel pretty confident about it,” he says.
“It’s very hard on the crew … it is very expensive for the production to get it done safely, but people are managing to get stuff done.”
The pandemic will also inspire the plot next season, as TV and filmmakers start integrating the world’s new normal in dramas and documentaries.
Away from filming, the married father of three has been in lockdown at his California home with make-up artist wife Jillian Fink, daughter Talula, 18, and their 13-year-old twin sons, Sullivan and Darby.
Keeping his younger children active has been key to the whole family’s sanity, he says.
“One son is really into his football [soccer], so as long as his team is still practicing it’s fine,” he explains.
“My other son is doing taekwondo, so they’re both physically active. I think the remote learning is very challenging [because] at this age, the socialisation is key. So everybody struggling.”
Dempsey has yet another TV series to look forward to, tackling the incendiary issue of US
politics in TV movie, Ways And Means.
Signed on as the lead role and executive producer, Dempsey will play “a powerful congressional leader who has lost faith in politics. He finds himself working secretly with an idealistic young congresswoman from the opposing party to subvert the hopelessly gridlocked system he helped create.”
Not daunted by the deep divisions face post-Trump America, Dempsey says the writers are harnessing the headlines to make it as topical and tense as possible.
“We’re in the process of rewriting right now, waiting for that draft to come in and then we’ll do a table read and will adjust. We’ll wait and see what happens in January with the run-off [elections] in Georgia as that will affect the dynamic of the show as well. Depending on who will be have control the Senate – the Republicans or the Democrats – that will change the dynamic of our show.”
The outcome of the November 3 ballot was a loss for Dempsey’s Aussie fans, after the actor confirmed he was planning to move his family here if Trump had won a second term.
“We talked about it … ‘if the election doesn’t go well, where we would everybody like to go to?’ and they said ‘let’s go to Australia.”
He adds: “it’s always great there.”
As for his Grey’s Anatomy exit, Dempsey is unsure how many episodes he will appear in during season 17, but is grateful for how it changed his life and those who will follow his career beyond the decorated series.
“I think it will be hard for people to let go of certain characters, you know, because it’s made a profound impact and it’s a big part of their life and their experience. So you have to be gentle with that and then you’ll find new people to come along. Certainly Devils is a different demographic and different audience to Grey’s Anatomy or any of the romantic comedies I’ve done.”
DEVILS, STREAMING ON BINGE.
Originally published as Patrick Dempsey leaves his McDreamy moniker for dead in Devils
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