Is Patrick Dempsey packing up his perfect hair and leaving Seattle Grace? It would appear that there may have been a mix-up in a quote he made regarding his future status on the show. Following comments made by Dempsey, his publicist has attempted to clear up the confusion.
Dempsey’s publicist released a statement to Entertainment Weekly attempting to clarify some comments the Grey's Anatomy actor made to the Italian Vanity Fair. The magazine quoted Dempsey as stating, “It will be my last. I don’t know what will happen with the other characters, but for me, it’s done.” The series has been renewed for an eighth season, which, if Dempsey's comment is true, would be his last.
Dempsey’s rep is attempting to clarify on the comment, stating that Dempsey was only referring to his contract being up and not knowing “what the future holds.” So, is this a case of McDreamy being misquoted or his words taken out of context? Or is this a bit of backtracking. He says characters, as opposed to cast, which to me, says he was talking about the role and not a contract. And, "It will be my last" seems pretty straight-forward. All the same, it's possible his mind isn't made up and the magazine decided not to emphasize that.
I won’t pretend to be caught up on Grey’s Anatomy here as I haven’t watched in seasons, however I do know the show well enough to know that Dempsey leaving would be a pretty big deal, considering he plays the love interest of the lead character. With that said, I’m less surprised by the news (or possible misunderstanding) that he might be leaving as I am that he stayed with the show so long rather than moving on as other cast members have.
Grey’s Anatomy is the reason many of us no longer associate Dempsey with the geeky kid who bought a high school cheerleader with his telescope money, or the slightly older kid who sold his body with extra anchovies. Perhaps his choice to stick with Grey's for seven (soon eight) seasons comes from loyalty to the show, the role and/or the fans, which would be admirable, however, (and Grey’s fans will probably disagree with me here), he might be better off abandoning the McDreamy act and moving on to more films or another TV show.
