His view? The Royal Alexandra Theatre in Toronto, where, as a bright-eyed young actor, he was the lead in the play Brighton Beach Memoirs during the summer of 1985. “I’m currently filming my TV series here,” he says in his exclusive Parade cover story interview. “So it’s interesting to be looking down at it 30 years later. It’s amazing that I’ve had a career that’s lasted this long. I’m truly grateful for that.”
Indeed, there’s a good reason why the actor likes to joke that when fans approach him about a specific favorite role, it “depends on the generation.” Anyone who came of age wearing acid-washed jeans still adores him for his breakout performance in the 1987 teen comedy Can’t Buy Me Love and the 1994 drama With Honors. He wooed Millennials via rom-coms like Sweet Home Alabama (2002) and Made of Honor (2008). Gen Zers grew up watching him in the 2007 Disney musical classic Enchanted. The sequel, Disenchanted, premiered in 2022.
Why Patrick Dempsey Chose to Play a Killer in New Fox Series (0:42)
Now Dempsey returns to network television with the intriguing new FOX thriller Memory of Killer. The show's world premiere on Jan. 25 was a two-night event and new episodes air every Monday night at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT. In the thriller, Dempsey stars as Angelo, a photocopier salesman and father in sleepy upstate New York who moonlights as a fearsome NYC hitman. These two distinctly separate lives become intertwined when Angelo develops early onset Alzheimer’s disease and starts losing his memory. “The stakes keep rising,” Dempsey explains. “There’s one specific person after him and he’s trying to figure out who that is and why. Or is it a figment of his imagination?”
Calling in on the way to the set, a reflective Dempsey shared his fondest on-and-offscreen memories and more with Parade.
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Jason Bell/FOX
Patrick Dempsey: Well, I liked the story. The character was really interesting and challenging, and it just so happened that it was on a network show. This was an original character that I hadn't played before, and I get a lot of dimension going between the two worlds of a normal suburban dad and a hitman. It's a great opportunity to play both sides.
Not so much on this show; I have a good balance where I can shut it off and do other things to ground me. In the past, I could just stay in my bubble until I was finished. And then you need a little bit of a transition to get back into your family routine.
I think the freedom to be able to just explore the woods of Maine. That was the greatest gift of growing up in a small town. My kids are at the point where they want to be in the city and want to have that energy and be experiencing that. I went through that, and now I'm coming out the other side.
I didn't really have many options, and an opportunity was in front of me. I had auditioned for a show called Torch Song Trilogy, and [playwright and actor] Harvey Fierstein hired me. And my mother and father said, “This is your break. Go for it and see what happens.” And I left home at 17, and I was in that play. That was my beginning. I was just happy that I had an opportunity to get out of Maine and to be able to work as a professional actor. I still feel that way.
Yeah, I think a lot of people dismissed it and thought it was just another movie. And then for some reason, people really identified with that film and really embraced it. It became the No. 1 movie of that weekend. I think a lot of people were surprised, and I certainly was. It’s magical in the way it all kind of came together.
Related: Patrick Dempsey on the Roles He's Recognized for Most
That's a good question. If it's on TV, every now and then I'll look at it. Yeah, it's been a number of years since I've watched it. I don't really enjoy watching myself, so I don't watch a lot of stuff that I'm in.
Not really? I like documentaries and sports. That's my escape. But to watch anything that I'm in, that's not an escape.
I just love the camaraderie and the fellowship. The stakes are quite high, the level of attention that you have to have, the physical conditioning . . . all of those things I really enjoy. I had a full racing schedule for most of the year, but unfortunately, I was not allowed to race the second half for insurance reasons. I’m not allowed to do anything on a motorcycle or to ski or do any kind of racing. I’ve definitely missed those opportunities.
Oh, I think about that daily. I don't think that ever goes away. There are some days in this profession — and certainly in this era of show business — when you always ask those questions. But you don’t listen to those voices. You move forward.
What’s the biggest benefit of having a daughter who’s a pastry chef?
Do your sons want to go into acting?
Related: Who Are Patrick Dempsey's Kids? All About Talula, Darby and Sullivan Dempsey
No, I did not. We lived too far away, and they were too little. I don't think it's good to have young children on set anyway.
I spoke to him a few weeks ago. I've been texting with him. We were trying to get him in [Killer] but unfortunately, the progression of his disease made it virtually impossible. But I was happy to see that he was here in Toronto working on, I think, another medical drama [Brilliant Minds].
Related: How Patrick Dempsey is Upgrading Cancer Care (for Free)
Hmmm . . . I think each one is a different life experience. It's like a mini past life, and there's always something in there that you take away and learn something about yourself.
I thought Devils [2020-22] was a very good show about the financial world. I don't think a lot of people saw that. I shot it for Sky TV Italy, and I was in Rome, which was part of the appeal.
Oh, the Ferrari movie [2023]. I was driving, and I got a chance to live and work in Italy. It was a small role, but I loved it. That was probably my favorite.
Which one gave you imposter syndrome?
Which one did you show your kids?
Which one made you want to keep in touch with the cast long after it wrapped?
Do you agree that Reese Witherspoon made a mistake picking Josh Lucas over you in Sweet Home Alabama?
Can you believe that movie is almost 25 years old?
One last thing: You’re not on video right now, but are you having a good hair day?
You’re not going to dye it, are you?
Your wife is such a pro. She probably wouldn’t even let you.
This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity
Next up: From McDreamy to McDeadly: Inside Patrick Dempsey’s New FOX Show ‘Memory of a Killer’
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