Patrick Dempsey cried while filming his last 'Grey's Anatomy' cameo but doesn't rule out another return: 'Never say never with this show'

• Patrick Dempsey told Variety he got emotional while filming his final "Grey's Anatomy" cameo.
• Dempsey played neurosurgeon Derek Shepherd for 11 seasons and guest-starred in season 17.
• He doesn't rule out any future "Grey's Anatomy" appearances: "Never say never with this show."

Patrick Dempsey said that he got emotional while filming his last scene as Derek Shepherd on "Grey's Anatomy."

The actor opened up about his latest cameo on the 17th season of the long-running ABC medical drama (which follows the lives of doctors at the fictional Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital) during an interview with Variety published on Monday.

"We all cried at the beginning and we hugged each other," Dempsey told the publication about filming the sequence where Meredith Grey (played by Ellen Pompeo) and her late husband Derek (played by Dempsey) are seen together on the beach while she's unconscious from health complications.

Dempsey played Derek, arguably TV's most famous neurosurgeon, for 11 seasons until the character died of medical negligence after a motorcycle crash in 2015.

Dempsey said that the goal of the episode containing his final cameo (where Meredith and Derek talk about Derek's death and their children before having their long-awaited beach wedding) was to send a message of "hope" to viewers after a difficult year with the pandemic.

"I thought it was a beautiful way to close it," he said.

"The intention was to really give people some hope because they are such an iconic couple," Dempsey continued. "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.

"So for all of us, it was a beautiful ending to this story. I'm so grateful that I did it and happy that the fans really loved it," he added.

While celebrating Meredith and Derek's love, Dempsey also wanted to remind people to be careful during the coronavirus pandemic, which "Grey's Anatomy" addressed with Meredith's COVID-19 diagnosis.

"It was really for us to get the message out there to wear a mask, take care of yourself," he told Variety.

He added: "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."

Dempsey isn't completely ruling out Derek's return to 'Grey's Anatomy'

When Dempsey exited "Grey's Anatomy" in 2015, Variety reported that he was leaving the show "to pursue other interests."

The following year, Dempsey told People that his departure from the popular series was agreed upon by both him and the series creator, Shonda Rhimes.

"I think after a certain period of time, no matter how much money you make, you want control out of your own schedule," Dempsey told the publication.

"It had been long enough. It was time for me to move on with other things and other interests," he added. "I probably should have moved on a couple of years earlier."

A post shared by Ellen Pompeo (@ellenpompeo)

Even though Dempsey exited the show as a series regular in 2015, he's made a few appearances as Derek this season through Meredith's memories and in dream sequences, especially after she was diagnosed with COVID-19.

While he told Variety that the latest cameo "was a beautiful way" to say goodbye to the iconic TV couple, he ends on a hopeful note about Derek's future on the show.

"Who knows?" Dempsey said. "Never say never with this show, right?"