Patrick Dempsey for Parade Magazine

Here is a new interview of Patrick Dempsey.

Patrick Dempsey Is Back: Inside His New FOX Thriller ‘Memory of a Killer’

Every time Patrick Dempsey wants a proper perspective on his career, he literally gazes out his window.

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.”

There’s just one small addendum: He’s actually looking down more than 40years later. Upon hearing the correct math, Dempsey laughs: “Wow, yes. It’s been awhile. And it’s pretty remarkable.”

[…]

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?”

Dempsey, who turned 60 on January 13, has been shooting up north since August. After he wraps, he’ll head back to his home base in Kennebunkport, Maine, to be with his wife of 26 years, famed makeup artist Jillian Dempsey. Their daughter, Talula, 23, is a pastry chef; twin sons Sullivan and Darby, 18, are college freshmen. He grew up close by in Lewiston, and opened the Dempsey Center for cancer care and treatment there in 2008. (His mom, Amanda, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 1997 and died in 2014; his dad, William, died in 2015.) “I spend a lot of time focused on the Dempsey Center,” he says. “I find it very rewarding, and it’s nice to be home in Maine.”

Why did Memory of a Killerappeal to you? Doing 10 episodes seems like a bit of a grind.

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.

As an actor, do you have to live a double life, too? Is it hard to separate your time on set and being at home?

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.

Now you’re back living in Maine. What did you love about growing up there?

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.

Why did you originally want to move to New York City?

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.

When you took the job playing Ronald Miller in Can’t Buy Me Love, did you have any expectations? The movie ended up launching your career.

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. But even though Can’t Buy Me Love has become iconic as an ’80s teen comedy, I never had that level of fame where I was known for just that one thing. To survive in the business, you have to keep working. Some things will hit, and a number of things won’t hit. So I kept putting one step in front of the other.

When was the last time you watched even five minutes of it?

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.

Do you have a performance that you do like revisiting?

Not really? I like documentaries and sports. That’s my escape. But to watch anything that I’m in, that’s not an escape.

You’re quite an accomplished race car driver. Is that an escape for you?

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.

Do you ever think about racing full time and giving up acting?

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?

I’m very, very proud of her. It’s dangerous when she’s home because she’s always experimenting, and I’m always eating way too many sweet treats. And those treats come fresh right out of the oven. Oh my god, I have to be careful.

Do your sons want to go into acting?

I have one going to NYU at the Stella Adler acting school in New York. He is old-fashioned about it. We’ll see what happens. And have another one who really doesn’t care about the business, doesn’t like the spotlight and doesn’t chase fame.

Did you take your kids to the Grey’s set when they were little?

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.

Your former co-star Eric Dane recently revealed that he has ALS. Have you talked to him?

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]. It’s very hard for him, but I do try to stay in touch and see how he’s doing. I think he’s been incredibly courageous in the face of this horrible disease. He’s such a wonderful human being. He has such a great sense of humor, and he’s so intelligent. I’ve always enjoyed working and being around Eric. It’s heartbreaking. It really is. For him and for his family. You feel for them when you see this terrible disease and how quickly it attacks the body. But he’s bringing a lot of light to that, and he’s using his platform in a positive way. I wish him the best.

OK, let’s go down memory lane. Which of all your projects are you proudest of and why?

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.

Which one do you wish more people saw?

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.

Which one was the most fun to film?

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?

There’s always a level of anxiety going into every role. I don’t think that ever goes away. I’ve learned to manage those voices much better as I get older.

Which one did you show your kids?

When they were younger, they saw Enchanted. They couldn’t figure out how I got inside the TV. I always thought that was quite cute. That movie was brilliant and extraordinary.

Which one made you want to keep in touch with the cast long after it wrapped?

I don’t do that. When you finish a project, you have this heartbreaking period when you decompress from it, and then people go off on their own. You’ll meet them later on in life, and you just pick up where you start. We just live a nomadic life. And I spend a lot of time with my family.

Do you agree that Reese Witherspoon made a mistake picking Josh Lucas over you in Sweet Home Alabama?

Yes, absolutely! But she clearly wanted someone else. It’s funny because every now and then Josh will text me, or I’ll text him. And I was just thinking about him the other day because he was doing some voiceover work on the Ken Burns documentary about the American Revolution.

Can you believe that movie is almost 25 years old?

That’s when you start to look around. We’re all at different chapters now, but I’m certainly at this point in my life where I just want to enjoy the moment a lot more, and worry about the past less and the future less. I just try to be here in the moment and enjoy where we are right now.

One last thing: You’re not on video right now, but are you having a good hair day?

I have a hat on! Yes, I’m fine. I’m grateful that I have hair. It is getting grayer by the day, but at least it’s there.

You’re not going to dye it, are you?

No, I actually like the gray hair.

Your wife is such a pro. She probably wouldn’t even let you.

I think she likes it. It’s hard when my wife isn’t doing my hair, but yes, she takes good care of me. We just had our winter break, and the guy who does our hair for the show could tell that she cut it. She was analyzing his technique and he was analyzing hers. It was quite funny. People are quite territorial when it comes to my hair.