"Grey's Anatomy" creator Shonda Rhimes revealed the origin of Dr. Derek Shepherd's nickname during an interview with Oprah Winfrey. "When we were shooting the pilot, Patrick was seriously the most adorable man we'd ever seen on camera," Rhimes explained. "We'd watch the monitor and think, 'Look at his dreamy eyes!' So we started calling him Patrick McDreamy, and it stuck." Fans very much agreed, and the dazzling fantasy of the ideal man proved to heighten drama throughout the series with every surprising flaw that was introduced.
"In some ways, he's a man who doesn't exist," Rhimes said when discussing how she originally imagined the character. The first episodes of the series lean on him seeming like the "perfect guy" who happens to show a liking for Meredith. The quick response? "[T]he audience falls in love with him." Rhimes was quick to shake things up in Episode 9 when it was revealed he has a wife. "Isn't that the way it often happens in life?"
Dempsey sat down with "Nightline" on ABC News a year following his exit from "Grey's" and shared that he has no hard feelings about being fused to the vision of McDreamy. "It's going to be there for the rest of my life so I have to accept that as a fact," he admitted. He then questioned, "Will I be known for anything other than that later in life?" Playing such a memorable character for 11 seasons is definitely going to be a difficult feat to top.
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