Interview with Shortlist

Patrick Dempseys discusses various topics.

In a new interview, Patrick Dempsey discusses his public and private persona, how his kids keep him in line, the next racing biopic he would like to see happening, and more.

Shortlist: Hi Patrick! First, how do you sum up Memory of a Killer in a line? 

Patrick Dempsey: It’s about a man whose family and his two worlds are colliding. He has two separate worlds, and they’re colliding into one world.

He’s a doting dad by day and a hitman by night… 

Yeah, and vice versa. Yes, he’s a doting dad, and his side gig is he’s an assassin, I mean. And he sells copiers as well to make a little bit of money.

Does your life have two sides to it too, would you say? 

Well I do sell a lot of copiers. No! Well, I think as an actor and a celebrity, your outside persona is different from your home persona, because your kids keep you in line. So you do have some sort of compartmentalisation of that. But we all do, we all have our public face and then our home face.

How do your kids keep you in line?

Oh, they don’t take anything I do seriously anymore. But they’re great, I love my kids. They’re getting older now. My boys have graduated, they’re 19, and my daughter Talula’s birthday is today – she’s 24 she’s been going to school here in London, and loves it. She’s been going to Le Cordon Bleu as a pastry chef; that’s her passion and her occupation. I’m so proud of her. I’m looking forward to finishing up today and going out and having a birthday dinner with her. But, they force you to be a better person. Our goal in life really is to improve every day, right? Can we improve every day and not make the same mistakes? I think children teach you that. They also remind you of your mother and your father and the lessons that they taught you. And they keep you young by keeping you up to date with what’s happening. Actually, I had them read this script, and they helped advise me on my choices.

You must know London quite well then!

Yeah, I love London!

What are some of your favourite things about the city?

I think it’s the architecture. And I do love the rain, the park, the different seasons, the history, the museums. What’s really nice to see is a lot of the small businesses that are family-owned, that are handcrafted, bespoke; that tradition is still alive and well and thriving. I hope that continues. And I’ve noticed the lack of traffic. I think if you’re driving into the city, it’s not that people are happy about having to pay, but that is making a big impact. Christmas here is really magical. And I love the Premier League.

With your daughter studying at Le Cordon Bleu, do you have a favourite London restaurant?

My daughter is the one who knows the restaurants, so she’s always telling me where to go. Talula has her blog of all the different restaurants she goes to, so we’re going to go to one of her favourite places tonight.

She’s your London guide? 

Yes! Also one of my favourite memories in London was with Sir Stirling Moss, who lived here. I got to go have dinner with him at his local pub before he passed away. That was great. There’s a rich racing history here and car history, and it’s always like eye candy everywhere I walk. I’m like, ‘Oh my goodness,’ at the cars on the road — like, ‘Look at that 1930s Alfa Romeo driving through Notting Hill!’ It’s a great car culture.

Speaking of cars, you’re not just an A-list actor, but an accomplished racing driver as well. Would you be up for another racing biopic?

I got to work on Ferrari, the movie, and played Piero Taruffi who won the 1955 Mille Miglia. But I don’t know what you would do now. Grand Prix (1966), I think, is probably the best racing movie. And then Le Mans (1971), with Steve McQueen, is the most authentic in the sense of racing itself. Had they not had to come in to change the film, the picture car would have won! And the producer was fighting with McQueen about it — he wanted to win the race, and the producer was like, ‘No, we need the footage!’ So I think that was quite funny.

Would you be up for a remake of Le Mans, then? 

Well, for me, I think there’s a story to be told about the Bentley Boys which hasn’t been told yet. That was a generation of racers who were coming out of the First World War. There was a lot of PTSD from that; they were men that were living on the edge, and they really created the tradition of the Brits going to Le Mans — driving and renting the chalets. That still very much exists. I think that’s a great story to be told. It would be very expensive. I think the 1955 Le Mans story, and then Phil Hill winning with Wolfgang von Trips passing away in 1961 — I think it would be a lot of fun to tell the story of that era.

In Memory of a Killer, your character has a cover story of selling photocopiers. Do you have a white-lie job you tell people you do, if anyone who doesn’t know you asks?

No, fortunately, people pretty much know me from Grey’s Anatomy. But what I do have, is a kind of side gig: I’ve created a foundation called The Dempsey Center. We treat people who have been impacted by cancer in a holistic way. We don’t treat the disease, we treat the person, and that’s sort of the second life that I have. There’s a children’s programme, caregiver, counselling, nutrition, wigs, whatever that individual or family needs, we will help provide for them at no cost to our patients. There’s a wonderful place here in the UK, Maggie’s, which does the same type of work. So if there’s anybody in this country that is going through cancer treatment, I highly recommend that you look that up and you can get some help and support there if you need it. It’s beautiful, and rewarding.