Better late than never, it seems: Patrick Dempsey, known to legions of Grey’s Anatomy fans as the one and only McDreamy, has finally been named People’s Sexiest Man Alive.
“I’m glad it’s happening at this point in my life,” the 57-year-old actor told the magazine. “It’s nice to have the recognition and it certainly gives my ego a little boost, but it gives me the platform to use it for something positive.”
When Dempsey first learned he would be People’s next sexy coverman, he said, “I was completely shocked and then started laughing. That’s a joke, isn’t it? I’ve always been the bridesmaid! I had completely forgotten about it and didn’t even think about being in that position. So my ego is good.”
Dempsey, who left Grey’s in 2015 but made a cameo as McDreamy in 2021, will appear as Italian driver Piero Taruffi in Michael Mann’s Ferrari next month. The actor caused quite a stir at the D23 Expo last year when he showed up with a shock of very white hair; he bleached it for the role as an F1 driver.
Dempsey, an accomplished racing driver himself, told Deadline at the Venice Film Festival that he aggressively pursued the role, calling the script “the best I’ve read in and around the motorsport world.”