14 DAY TRIAL // The long-standing and very popular TV drama “Grey’s Anatomy” is about to go through some major cast changes again: Patrick Dempsey says in a recent interview that he’s unsure about his fate on the show past season 8.
This will undoubtedly come as very sad news for fans, since few can imagine “Grey’s Anatomy” without its resident Dr. McDreamy and definitely not when Ellen Pompeo is also reportedly thinking about jumping ship.
TV Line says Dempsey made the shocking revelation in an interview with Vanity Fair Italy, where he’s probably promoting Michael Bay’s third and last “Transformers” film “The Dark of the Moon.”
“[Season 8 is] gonna be my last. I do not know what’s going to happen to the other characters, but for me it’s done,” the actor is quoted as saying.
Patrick also talked about the imminent departure from the show, saying it was an understandably difficult step to take.
“[It’s] bittersweet because it’s been great and a great part of my life. But I can’t see me doing it anymore,” he said.
TV Line believes the end of season 8 could see even more cast members walk away from the show, based on what series’ creator Shonda Rhimes was saying in a recent interview.
Nevertheless, for McDreamy fans, there’s still some hope: as word of his departure started spreading online, Dempsey’s rep issued a statement to TheWrap saying that, while he may leave after season 8, it’s not a given just yet.
“He was referring to the fact that his contract is up at the end of next season and we have no idea what the future holds,” Dempsey’s publicist says in a brief statement.
As fans must surely know, Ellen Pompeo has also said that she doesn’t know what she’ll do when her contract is up after next season, hinting that she might want to try something else with her career.
If both she and Dempsey leave, there’s hardly any point to keeping “Grey’s Anatomy” on air, voices say on dedicated online forums.