Post by Leanne on Sept 15, 2009 15:16:34 GMT -5
Patrick Dempsey Talks About Season 5 of Grey's Anatomy
By Gossip_Girlie | 12 hours 53 min ago
The fifth season of Grey's Anatomy comes out today on DVD, and to get you in the mood, here's a special interview with hunky Patrick Dempsey who stars as Dr. Derek Shepherd.
What are some of the challenges facing Grey’s Anatomy in its fifth year?
PATRICK DEMPSEY: To be honest, I think most of the challenges are with the writers because they have to keep the stories fresh and keep these characters moving forward. The characters have to grow in a way that is engaging for the audience and engaging for the actors. I think that's the real challenge. The show takes a lot out of the writers. It must be really hard because there's only so much that they can come up with. It's like running a marathon. It is constant pressure.
Is it tiring to work on the show?
PATRICK DEMPSEY: I think the actors go in and out of feeling tired. There are episodes where you feel tired and frustrated with the lack of growth in your character, but then you have to look at the overall picture and you see other characters taking off and growing.
What’s been your highlight to season five of Grey’s Anatomy?
PATRICK DEMPSEY: I love the fact that Kevin McKidd has joined the cast. The dynamic between his character and Sandra Oh’s character has been really good for the show. I like watching those two. I think that's been the strongest thing to happen this season. It was also great doing the crossover episodes with Private Practice, where we got to work with Kate Walsh again. I think she's a real nice addition to our show. I was always very sad when they had her leave for the spin-off. I thought it was a major turning point for this show – and it certainly diluted it.In what way?
PATRICK DEMPSEY: Well, I think she's a great character, so it was a real loss for us. I also think Isaiah Washington was a big loss for us. Forget about the personal issues, but his character was tremendous.
You worked with Kevin McKidd on the movie, Made Of Honor. Why do you two get along so well?
PATRICK DEMPSEY: I like him. I like him as a person and his accent is fun. I think he's a very good actor and he has a great energy on screen. You know what? I like his character on Grey’s a lot because he's showing the world the issue of post-traumatic stress. That’s an issue that really needed to be talked about. People suffering out there need to know that they're not alone.
Do you think the criticisms against the show in season five were unfair?
PATRICK DEMPSEY: What are the criticisms? Give me something. Give me a criticism.
For example, the storyline concerning Izzie and the return of Denny…
PATRICK DEMPSEY: I personally didn't like that arc. I understood what they were doing, but I think that cheapened the relationship. I didn't like it – and I've been very vocal about that. It's not my choice. You're really at the mercy of what they're going to give you, and you have to come to terms with that. That's what they pay you for. You have to be a professional. You have to get over it.
Fans were worried that Katherine Heigl was about to leave the show when this storyline peaked in the States…
PATRICK DEMPSEY: She's not leaving the show. They were just rumors. We don't know, though. She doesn't know. This is a question for [Grey’s Anatomy creator] Shonda Rhimes – but we all have contracts for two more years. People are talking about it, but it’s a shame they're not talking about the stories rather than the cast.
That must be a great comfort in this business to have two-year contracts…
PATRICK DEMPSEY: Very much so. Hopefully we're on for two more years, but you never know what's going to happen. It's nice to know that you have a job – especially when you listen to the news and you see what's going on in the world. You have to remember that the position you're in is rare and you can't lose sight of that. Everybody gets up and has a bad day where you start to question things, but you just have to remember how fortunate you are.
What’s the biggest challenge to working on the show?
PATRICK DEMPSEY: It’s really hard when you have every member of the cast in one room operating on somebody because it is very time consuming to film. Everybody is thinking, ‘Oh, no. Here we go again.” And it’s really tough for the crew. I think those are the most difficult scenes to shoot. Everybody thinks, ‘Okay. We have to be patient. We’re going to have to get through this.’
Does it get easier to stomach the gory surgeries after five years on the show?
PATRICK DEMPSEY: Yes, but I've always loved that part of the show. I've never been too upset with the gore. That's my favorite part of the show.
Can you talk a little about the fight scene between your character and Mark Sloan [played by Eric Dane] in season five?
PATRICK DEMPSEY: That was a lot of fun to shoot. The thing with a fight scene is you have to control it in order for it to look out of control. It's when you get out of control that it doesn't look as good. There's a very specific technique to fight scenes in that you should not get hurt in them – but it was fun to have something a little more masculine to play. Grey’s is very much a feminine show, so it's nice to see two guys fighting. It opens up their relationship a little bit more.
What’s it like to work with Eric Dane?
PATRICK DEMPSEY: I love working with him. I think he's very funny and I think there are a lot of great qualities that he brings to the show. You want to hear more about their back story. You want to know why they were friends and what's going on.
Why do you think Derek punches Mark?
PATRICK DEMPSEY: I think he's punching him for a lot of things. It was a long time coming. The writers were able to explore more of their back stories in season five, which was a lot of fun. It’s like Derek says, “What you're doing with Lexie is something that's part of your character flaw. I love you as a brother and I want you to come out of it.” I think that's why they have that kind of passionate relationship that you have if you've known someone for many, many years. I think that there's a lot more to explore in that dynamic.
Is there anything you don’t like about Derek?
PATRICK DEMPSEY: Well, I could mention a lot of things, but I don’t know how productive that is.
What would you like to see happen to him in the future?
PATRICK DEMPSEY: At the end of the day, I just want Derek to move forward and I want to be challenged with this character. I don’t want to rest on my laurels. You have to really be patient and allow Shonda to do her process and we’re here to support that, but you also have to tell her when you want something to change. I think Shonda has grown a lot as a writer and as a show runner – but there are times when you have to go and say to her, “Here’s how I feel. I’m going to put it on your desk and you make the final decision. I may agree with you and I may not, but it’s your decision.” You have to learn not to be too passionate about things. Let it go – and wait to see what happens.
www.mothersclick.com/entertainment/patrick-dempsey-talks-about-season-5-greys-anatomy
By Gossip_Girlie | 12 hours 53 min ago
The fifth season of Grey's Anatomy comes out today on DVD, and to get you in the mood, here's a special interview with hunky Patrick Dempsey who stars as Dr. Derek Shepherd.
What are some of the challenges facing Grey’s Anatomy in its fifth year?
PATRICK DEMPSEY: To be honest, I think most of the challenges are with the writers because they have to keep the stories fresh and keep these characters moving forward. The characters have to grow in a way that is engaging for the audience and engaging for the actors. I think that's the real challenge. The show takes a lot out of the writers. It must be really hard because there's only so much that they can come up with. It's like running a marathon. It is constant pressure.
Is it tiring to work on the show?
PATRICK DEMPSEY: I think the actors go in and out of feeling tired. There are episodes where you feel tired and frustrated with the lack of growth in your character, but then you have to look at the overall picture and you see other characters taking off and growing.
What’s been your highlight to season five of Grey’s Anatomy?
PATRICK DEMPSEY: I love the fact that Kevin McKidd has joined the cast. The dynamic between his character and Sandra Oh’s character has been really good for the show. I like watching those two. I think that's been the strongest thing to happen this season. It was also great doing the crossover episodes with Private Practice, where we got to work with Kate Walsh again. I think she's a real nice addition to our show. I was always very sad when they had her leave for the spin-off. I thought it was a major turning point for this show – and it certainly diluted it.In what way?
PATRICK DEMPSEY: Well, I think she's a great character, so it was a real loss for us. I also think Isaiah Washington was a big loss for us. Forget about the personal issues, but his character was tremendous.
You worked with Kevin McKidd on the movie, Made Of Honor. Why do you two get along so well?
PATRICK DEMPSEY: I like him. I like him as a person and his accent is fun. I think he's a very good actor and he has a great energy on screen. You know what? I like his character on Grey’s a lot because he's showing the world the issue of post-traumatic stress. That’s an issue that really needed to be talked about. People suffering out there need to know that they're not alone.
Do you think the criticisms against the show in season five were unfair?
PATRICK DEMPSEY: What are the criticisms? Give me something. Give me a criticism.
For example, the storyline concerning Izzie and the return of Denny…
PATRICK DEMPSEY: I personally didn't like that arc. I understood what they were doing, but I think that cheapened the relationship. I didn't like it – and I've been very vocal about that. It's not my choice. You're really at the mercy of what they're going to give you, and you have to come to terms with that. That's what they pay you for. You have to be a professional. You have to get over it.
Fans were worried that Katherine Heigl was about to leave the show when this storyline peaked in the States…
PATRICK DEMPSEY: She's not leaving the show. They were just rumors. We don't know, though. She doesn't know. This is a question for [Grey’s Anatomy creator] Shonda Rhimes – but we all have contracts for two more years. People are talking about it, but it’s a shame they're not talking about the stories rather than the cast.
That must be a great comfort in this business to have two-year contracts…
PATRICK DEMPSEY: Very much so. Hopefully we're on for two more years, but you never know what's going to happen. It's nice to know that you have a job – especially when you listen to the news and you see what's going on in the world. You have to remember that the position you're in is rare and you can't lose sight of that. Everybody gets up and has a bad day where you start to question things, but you just have to remember how fortunate you are.
What’s the biggest challenge to working on the show?
PATRICK DEMPSEY: It’s really hard when you have every member of the cast in one room operating on somebody because it is very time consuming to film. Everybody is thinking, ‘Oh, no. Here we go again.” And it’s really tough for the crew. I think those are the most difficult scenes to shoot. Everybody thinks, ‘Okay. We have to be patient. We’re going to have to get through this.’
Does it get easier to stomach the gory surgeries after five years on the show?
PATRICK DEMPSEY: Yes, but I've always loved that part of the show. I've never been too upset with the gore. That's my favorite part of the show.
Can you talk a little about the fight scene between your character and Mark Sloan [played by Eric Dane] in season five?
PATRICK DEMPSEY: That was a lot of fun to shoot. The thing with a fight scene is you have to control it in order for it to look out of control. It's when you get out of control that it doesn't look as good. There's a very specific technique to fight scenes in that you should not get hurt in them – but it was fun to have something a little more masculine to play. Grey’s is very much a feminine show, so it's nice to see two guys fighting. It opens up their relationship a little bit more.
What’s it like to work with Eric Dane?
PATRICK DEMPSEY: I love working with him. I think he's very funny and I think there are a lot of great qualities that he brings to the show. You want to hear more about their back story. You want to know why they were friends and what's going on.
Why do you think Derek punches Mark?
PATRICK DEMPSEY: I think he's punching him for a lot of things. It was a long time coming. The writers were able to explore more of their back stories in season five, which was a lot of fun. It’s like Derek says, “What you're doing with Lexie is something that's part of your character flaw. I love you as a brother and I want you to come out of it.” I think that's why they have that kind of passionate relationship that you have if you've known someone for many, many years. I think that there's a lot more to explore in that dynamic.
Is there anything you don’t like about Derek?
PATRICK DEMPSEY: Well, I could mention a lot of things, but I don’t know how productive that is.
What would you like to see happen to him in the future?
PATRICK DEMPSEY: At the end of the day, I just want Derek to move forward and I want to be challenged with this character. I don’t want to rest on my laurels. You have to really be patient and allow Shonda to do her process and we’re here to support that, but you also have to tell her when you want something to change. I think Shonda has grown a lot as a writer and as a show runner – but there are times when you have to go and say to her, “Here’s how I feel. I’m going to put it on your desk and you make the final decision. I may agree with you and I may not, but it’s your decision.” You have to learn not to be too passionate about things. Let it go – and wait to see what happens.
www.mothersclick.com/entertainment/patrick-dempsey-talks-about-season-5-greys-anatomy