ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: This doesn’t make any sense. Didn’t you just sign a two-year contract extension last year?
Patrick Dempsey: Yes. you’re right. (He pauses) It just sort of evolved. It’s just kind of happened. It really was something that was kind of surprising that unfolded, and it just naturally came to be. Which was pretty good. I like the way it has all played out.
When did you find out you would be written off the show?
Things happened very quickly, where we were like, “Oh this is where it’s going to go.” It just sort of unfolded in a very organic way. I don’t remember the date. It was not in the fall. Maybe February or March. It happened very quickly.
Were you surprised?
No, not really. It was just a natural progression with the way the story was unfolding. It was like, Okay! This was obviously the right time.
How long did it take to shoot your last episode?
It was spread out over almost three weeks. Everyone knew it was my last episode. Some of it was shot at the studio, and some on location.
Patrick Dempsey: Yes. you’re right. (He pauses) It just sort of evolved. It’s just kind of happened. It really was something that was kind of surprising that unfolded, and it just naturally came to be. Which was pretty good. I like the way it has all played out.
When did you find out you would be written off the show?
Things happened very quickly, where we were like, “Oh this is where it’s going to go.” It just sort of unfolded in a very organic way. I don’t remember the date. It was not in the fall. Maybe February or March. It happened very quickly.
Were you surprised?
No, not really. It was just a natural progression with the way the story was unfolding. It was like, Okay! This was obviously the right time.
How long did it take to shoot your last episode?
It was spread out over almost three weeks. Everyone knew it was my last episode. Some of it was shot at the studio, and some on location.
Source:
I read this earlier this morning and I felt him to be really cold. This whole interview he was so closed up. I mean this is a big thing dude open up. At least he teared up when asked about Ellen
ReplyDeleteI didn't watch the episode and don't even intend to. Will catch up with the rest of the season during summer. Just to tough and hard and I'm mostly pissed.
I don't really get the feeling from here that it was his wish to leave. It feels like something the writers decided to do.
ReplyDeleteHe sounds mad and he's trying not to say something offensive or sound bitter smh. He deserved better.
ReplyDeleteI don't think I can watch that episode. This week really sucks :\ :\
that's exactly what happened to Katherine Heigl
ReplyDeleteWell, she wasn't killed off.
ReplyDeleteITA - he's very curt about it. There isn't a happy tone to it at all. Usually when ppl get their wish to move on to next chapter, they are bubbling with excitement. Not so. Interesting. I have to wonder why he even did interview.
ReplyDeleteYeah I agree. The tone of this interview is very very different from say, Sandra Oh last year, which did leave on her own free will. Maybe the rule is this:
ReplyDelete- if you leave Shondaland on your own free will: you get to live (Teddy, Christina, Addison)
- if Shonda wants you to leave: you get killed off to prevent any possible return (Lexie, George, Derek, Mark)
Izzie and Burke are the exceptions but with Burke I think it was because she really wanted that storyline for Christina and for Izzie it was because the situation was so messed up with her leaving out of nowhere that she didn't really get a chance to do it like she wanted it to, in addition to her having just escaped cancer, which would make it even weirder to kill her off right after.
He really doesn't sound happy. And the way he keeps repeating that it was a "natural progression", it sounds like he's trying to convince himself. Damn. It's not gonna be the same without Derek.
ReplyDeleteAgreed about Sandra. Re: KH It's almost as if SR decided she hatred KH so much that she wasn't worthy of a SR penned death. LOL
ReplyDeleteThere was a lot of speculation at the time that had KH stuck around until the end of season 6 as it was planned she would have died during the hospital shooting. No idea whether or not it is true. But I do think that the reason Izzie story ended the way she did was because Katherine Heighl got away before Shonda had the chance to send her away
ReplyDeleteAm I the only one who is really shaken by this? GA is such a routine thing for me nowadays, it has been there for such a long time that for them to do a shake up like this it actually shakes me up, as ridiculous as it sounds.
ReplyDelete" it just naturally came to be" BS! just BS. you just dont get killed off after signing for two yeas. Something must have happened.
ReplyDeleteI feel really bad. I feel like Shonda shoudnt' ve done this, killing him off. Why not do a freaking more season with him and give them their happy ending?.
This is absolutely rubbish!!! Shonda has lost the plot trying to give her shows the shock factor! It is absolutely BS and idiotic!
ReplyDeleteDidn't Eric Dane and Chyler Leigh want to exit the show?
ReplyDeleteMe too. I was convinced Derek wouldn't die, but when that EW spoiler came, I was quite shocked because it could only mean one thing. Had I not been spoiled by EW, I would have been hugely shocked by this episode.
ReplyDeleteI never saw that confirmed by any of them. I am pretty much convinced that Eric Dane was fired for budgetary reasons since his contract was expiring at the time and Shonda probably decided he was expendable. I never saw any interview from him stating he wanted to leave or anything. Chyler Leigh is trickier since she did say that she and Shonda came to that conclusion but I kind of doubt it. She didn't have any big project or anything following so I don't see why she would want to leave and she hadn't even been there for that long. And her contract was also expiring. So I think it was Shonda's doing.
ReplyDeleteI think that was only because Katherine Heighl walked out before Shonda could have killed her off. The only option she left Shonda was an off screen death.
ReplyDeleteI was pretty convinced this was going to happen before, everything was pointing in that direction and ABC was more aggressive in the marketing for this episode than they had been in years. Unless they were playing a huge bait and switch game, I think this was the more likely outcome. And they did foreshadowed it in all the possible ways during the season, the most obvious being Amelia's and Meredith's fight ("Until the love of your life is ripped from you" thing) and Meredith's speech to Derek ("I can live without you, but I don't want to"). In hindsight, the whole bringing back Amelia thing probably was related to this as well.
ReplyDeleteAll of the interviews that I have read makes it sound like Shonda made the call to kill Derek as a ratings stunt. And if so, it was a terrible call. I'm not sure the ratings will survive Derek's departure. There are a lot of fans who watch just for him.
ReplyDeleteIf Shonda's intention was to bring old viewers back, she'll get it: for one episode. Old and new viewers may go away, as people seems very pissed off by this decision.
ReplyDeleteWere you surprised?
ReplyDeleteNo, not really. It was just a natural progression with the way the story was unfolding.
Translation: No, not really... Shonda is petty like that.
Chyler wanted to leave. I think in that situation Eric was collateral damage.
ReplyDeleteI think Chyler actually wanted to leave, (and I think her reasons were personal with 3 young kids).
ReplyDeleteI get a feeling Eric was merely collateral damage of that.
But I would believe budgetary reasons might have played into the decision, sure.
Im wondering if they had a farewell thing for PD after his final scene.
ReplyDeleteThis could backfire on Shonda. Derek's death may create buzz now, but in the long run will people stick around without Derek?
ReplyDeleteGoing by some online polls more people are saying they wont continue watching over continuing to watch it.
But he wanted out right? I don't understand really. Because if he wanted to leave, I don't get why Shonda gets all this crap.
ReplyDeleteSo,i'm confused again?
ReplyDeleteDid he wanted to leave coz he lost interest over the time or Shonda just killed the character for shock value & he had to go along with it?
Speak up,Dude!!
It's TR Knight's exit all over again. Some backstage troubles, Shonda decides she's gonna kill the character off, comes up with some really lousy storyline about saving other people and them getting killed because of it.
ReplyDeleteIn TR's case, he didn't want to shoot scenes for season 6 premiere, when Shonda planned to tell us how the bus accident happened, but with Dempsey it was possible. Anyway, it's pretty sad to see Derek gone this way. Sloan had a better farewell arc, they should've done something similar.
What's this about TR'S case? Don't think I've heard anything about this before
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/gossip/t-knight-reveals-left-grey-anatomy-article-1.427384
ReplyDeleteThanks for the link. Poor TR..Looks like shonda doesn't like that he called her out on the crap she was pulling. It does make me think that George wasn't meant to die originally in s5 finale.
ReplyDeleteJust compare Patrick's exit with Sandra's. Did he piss off Shonda that much? I don't think he wanted to leave completely, just a reduced role. And well, here we are. After 11 seasons, she kills Derek. I'm still in shock.
ReplyDeleteI don't think anyone knows for sure but nothing on this interview suggests to me that this was his desire. When he talks about when he knew it would happen and all that, that's not typically the stuff you see from people who wanted to leave. And those people tend to speak about how excited they are about new projects and all that.
ReplyDeleteIf they didn't kill off Meredith because they killed off Derek, I find it very hard to believe that they had to kill off Mark because of Lexie. I do think they were meant to be and all that but MerDer were the core pair of the show and they managed to have one stick around without the other, so I am sure they could have done the same for Mark. I think he was straight up fired. She also fired Tim Daily at the same time on Private Practice.
ReplyDeleteAs I said I would absolutely believe if budget reasons came into play when killing off Mark, but I couldn't disagree more with your line of thinking because well Meredith/Derek and Lexie/Mark are not comparable actually...
ReplyDeleteMark and Lexie were supporting characters and a supporting pairing... thus they were far more expendable, and Shonda could excuse the "tragic" and "romantic" together in death thing for them.
I had said it when the plane crash happened, that was the
only out she could have given Mer/Der as a couple and have Lexie take on the "Grey" mantle... that didn't happen. Chyler wanted out, and Eric/Mark was expendable so he went too.
But now... well now she couldn't lose Derek and Meredith... Not when they have been the driving love story of the show and Meredith is in the title of the show and does the voiceovers... Killing Derek off however, now gives Meredith angst which Shonda translates to more "interesting" storylines.
After reading this 3 separate times i firmly believe Patrick didn't want to leave and that he is as perplex as the next person. After reading this once again i truly believe with every fiber of my being that Shonda did this out of spite. Maybe he wanted more time off,who knows but i think this was her way of saying FU Patrick/Derek...and to the fans.
ReplyDeleteOf all the producers, Shonda Rhimes seems the most open about displaying gay relationships, so the entire situation seems strange. I'm taking what TR said with a grain of salt. The controversy cost Isaiah his job, which meant that it was taken seriously.
ReplyDeleteI always assumed he was ready to leave too. He might be evasive because he doesn't want the fans to know it was his decision. I'm not sure why people are quickly blaming Shonda. I wish he had left the show in a non-fatal manner, but I suspect he wanted to leave.
ReplyDeleteIt was confirmed that Chyler Leigh wanted to leave.
ReplyDeleteHegl was released early from her contract because she wanted to pursue a movie career. So Rhimes basically gave her what she wanted. Then, a few years later, she got tired of doing romantic comedies and tried to get Rhimes to re-hire her. I can't really blame the producers for saying no in that case. It's hard to tell what happened with Dempsey (whether he wanted to leave or not), but it doesn't seem like the Hegl situation to me.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds as covering ass for me. He was closed up, but probably because he was caught completely off guard by the storyline. Since his agent probably thought (rightfully so) that shitting all over ABC and Shonda was bad for business, he must have advised Dempsey to say as little as possible.
ReplyDeleteDunno, Patrick probably asked to leave....and is under contract obligation to not give any information until the Studio does so first....Patrick probably has another show, or has a movie....
ReplyDeleteit is weird to be on a show for over a decade...people need to have professional growth....