Patrick Dempsey was 'terrorizing the set' before exiting 'Grey's Anatomy,' former producer claims in new book: 'Some cast members had all sorts of PTSD with him'
- "How to Save a Life: The Inside Story of Grey's Anatomy" exposes behind-the-scenes series details.
- A former executive producer accuses Patrick Dempsey of "terrorizing the set" in the book.
- Another EP said Dempsey and costar Ellen Pompeo had tension because Pompeo was "frustrated" by him.
McDreamy did not spread the McLove on the set of "Grey's Anatomy," a new book claims.
"How to Save a Life: The Inside Story of Grey's Anatomy" by Entertainment Weekly's editor-at-large Lynette Rice takes readers inside the making of ABC's hit medical drama through the memories of people who have worked or are currently working on the show.
In an excerpt of the book published by The Hollywood Reporter on Thursday, former executive producer James D. Parriott accuses Patrick Dempsey of "terrorizing the set" during the later years of his tenure on "Grey's."
"Some cast members had all sorts of PTSD with him," Parriott said. "He had this hold on the set where he knew he could stop production and scare people."
"Grey's Anatomy" creator and former showrunner Shonda Rhimes (who was succeeded by Krista Vernoff as of season 14) was reportedly very "protective" of Dempsey's character Dr. Derek Shepherd. He was meant to be "the ideal man," Dempsey once said.
But off-camera, in Dempsey's final days on set, "he and Shonda were at each other's throats," Parriott claimed, telling Rice that he was asked to come in and facilitate Dempsey's exit because of "HR issues."
"Grey's Anatomy" star Ellen Pompeo also reportedly had problems getting along with her on-screen husband in real life. Former co-executive producer and writer Jeannine Renshaw told Rice that Pompeo was "frustrated" with Dempsey toward the end of his tenure.
"She would get angry that he wasn't working as much," Renshaw said, according to THR's excerpt of the book. "She was very big on having things be fair. She just didn't like that Patrick would complain that 'I'm here too late' or 'I've been here too long' when she had twice as many scenes in the episode as he did."
However, not all of Dempsey's former coworkers had negative things to say about working with him; some expressed that they understood his tense position on set.
"All of these actresses were getting all this power. All the rogue actresses would go running to Shonda and say, 'Hey, Patrick's doing this. Patrick's late for work. He's a nightmare,'" an unnamed "longtime crew member" told Rice. The same person also said Dempsey was "miserable" and "had no one to talk to" at work.
Based on the excerpt shared by THR, "How to Save a Life: The Inside Story of Grey's Anatomy" is set to give readers shocking insight into the politics on the "Grey's Anatomy" set in the past. But clearly, whatever happened behind-the-scenes didn't completely sour Dempsey on the show and his costars. The actor returned to "Grey's Anatomy" in season 17 for a multi-episode arc in which Derek visits Meredith in her dreams while she battles COVID-19.
Representatives for Dempsey, Rhimes, and Pompeo didn't immediately respond to Insider's request for comment. A representative for ABC declined to comment when reached by Insider.