The actor is reflecting on his return to the long-running show and how it came to be.
Patrick Dempsey is happy with his Grey's Anatomy character's emotional return and heavenly wedding. The actor recently opened up about the long-awaited nuptials, and reflected on how his unexpected return came together.
"I thought it was a beautiful way to close it," Dempsey recently said in an interview with Variety.
During this ongoing 17th season of of Grey's Anatomy, Dempsey's character, Derek Shepherd -- who died in season 11, six years ago -- returned as a pseudo-angel in Meredith Grey's (Ellen Pompeo) coma dream, as she's been battling COVID-19.
On Thursday, Derek and Meredith finally tied the knot in her idyllic beachside dreamscape, giving fans a moment that they never thought they would see.
"The intention was to really give people some hope because they are such an iconic couple," Dempsey shared. "We’ve lost so many people this year, the thought that we’d have angels hovering around us taking care of us is a good message to send out in such a bleak world that we’re living in."
The actor said it was "a beautiful ending" to his story, and to his character's romance with Grey.
"I’m so grateful that I did it and happy that the fans really loved it," Dempsey said.
When asked if this was actually the last time fans would see Derek on screen, or if another dream sequence return was possible in the future, Dempsey said, "Who knows?"
"Never say never with this show, right?" he added. "I’m glad we did it this year."
According to Dempsey, shooting the seen was truly emotional for himself and Pompeo, recalling, "We all cried at the beginning and we hugged each other."
Ultimately, he explained that the whole reason for Derek's return, and Pompeo's lengthy coma dream, was to encourage people to be safe during the pandemic,
"It was really for us to get the message out there to wear a mask, take care of yourself," he said. "Ellen and I were like, 'What can we do together to make some impact here?' That was in the spring around this time last year. It just was a positive action that reverberates into more positive action."
Grey's Anatomy returns Thursday, May 6 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on ABC. For more, watch below.
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