It’s been nearly two decades since Patrick Dempsey debuted on the big screen as neurosurgeon Derek “McDreamy” Shepherd on ABC. Grey’s Anatomy (It’s been a lot longer since his breakthrough role as a lovable outsider in 1987.) You Can’t Buy Me Love).
His heartache situation created such a fan frenzy that it graced the pages of this issue countless times over the years. Now he takes home the Sexiest Man Alive crown.
“I’m glad it happened at this point in my life,” the 57-year-old Maine native tells PEOPLE in this week’s cover story. “It’s nice to be recognized and it definitely takes a bit of a jolt to my ego, but it gives me the platform to use it for something positive.”
The one closest to his heart is the Dempsey Center, which he founded in memory of his late mother to support cancer patients and their loved ones.
Carter Smith
His other passions include being a family man with Jillian, 57, a makeup artist and founder of his own clean beauty line, and being with his children Talula, 21, and twins Sullivan and Darby, 16, and cultivating his passion for beauty. driving a race car.
So what went through your mind when you first heard the news? “I was completely shocked and then I started laughing like it was a joke, right? I was always the bridesmaid!” he says, laughing.
“I had completely forgotten about it and never thought about being in this position. So my ego is good.”
Carter Smith
As for how her children will react, Dempsey insists, “they’re just going to make fun of me, make fun of me, and figure out why I shouldn’t.” “That’s good, they keep me young.”
He will show off his racing skills in the biopic directed by Michael Mann in December Ferrari He plays Italian driver Piero Taruffi (who received a temporary deal from SAG-AFTRA during the actors’ strike). The movie taught him a lesson about taking risks, but he went off the rails.
“I had been following the movie for years, so I called Michael and said, ‘I’d like to discuss being a part of this.'” dempsey he remembers. “This taught me that if you really want something, you have to do it yourself.”
For more on 2023’s Sexiest Man Alive, pick up this week’s issue. PeopleOn newsstands Friday.
Carter Smith
Now the player learns that good things really do come to those who wait.
“There are bumper stickers, T-shirts, posters,” he jokes about his new title. Does this mean he’s on top? “I reached the top years ago,” he says with a laugh. “But I’m still here.”
Ferrari In theaters on Christmas Day. For more information about the Dempsey Center, visit dempseycenter.org.