Patrick Dempsey “terrorized the set” of Grey’s Anatomy

An executive producer said Patrick Dempsey “knew he could stop production and scare people,” on the set of Grey’s Anatomy. Ouch.

In a new book detailing the behind-the-scenes drama of Grey’s Anatomy, author Lynette Rice reveals that there was a lot more behind Patrick Dempsey’s departure in Season 11 than we thought. For his book How to Save a Life: The Inside Story of Grey’s Anatomy, Rice spoke to about 80 cast and crew members who said “diva-like crises and tensions [with] Pompeo ”, which is why Dempsey aka Derek“ McDreamy ”Shepherd left the show – and that seems like a nice way to put it.

Hollywood journalist led an expert on Rice’s damning new book, and executive producer James D. Parriott, who was specifically put into production when Dempsey Season 11 released as a sort of “real Dempsey whisperer,” reported explained the issues the rest of the cast and crew were having with Dempsey.

Everyone knew Dempsey had done the show, but still felt frustrated with his initial behavior.

“There were HR issues. It was by no means sexual. He kind of terrorized the set. Some of the cast had all kinds of PTSD with him. He had this hold on set where he knew he could stop production and scare people. The network and the studio went down and we had sessions with them. I think he was just done with the show. He didn’t like the inconvenience of coming to work every day. He and Shonda were at each other’s throats, ”Parriott explained.

Producer Jeannine Renshaw detailed the vibe on set, specifically the dynamic between Dempsey and costar Ellen Pompeo, aka Meredith Gray. “” There were times when Ellen got frustrated with Patrick and she got mad because he wasn’t working as hard. She was very committed to making sure things were right. She just didn’t like Patrick complaining about “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. When I told Patrick about it, I was like, ‘Look around you. These people have been here since six-thirty in the morning. ‘He’d say,’ Oh, yeah. ‘ “

In the end, enough was enough – and McDreamy was written off.

“Lots of complaints… I think Shonda eventually witnessed it herself, and it was the last straw. Shonda must have told the network, ‘If he doesn’t go, I’m going. No one wanted him to go, because he was the show. Him and Ellen, “Renshaw said. A crew member pleaded for Dempsey, noting that Dempsey was so miserable” and had “no one to whom speak “.

“I’m not defending his schtick. I like it, but it was the Lone Ranger. All these actresses were getting all this power. All the rogue actresses would run up to Shonda and say, “Hey, Patrick is doing this. Patrick is late for work. It’s a nightmare. He was just locked in the cold. His demeanor wasn’t the best, but he had nowhere to go. He was so miserable. He had no one to talk to. When Sandra [Oh] gone, I remember him saying to me, “I should have left then, but I stayed because they showed me all this money.” They just threw money at me.

In the excerpt, Dempsey himself also cites the absurd amount of cash as a reason to stay in a miserable situation.

“This [was] hard to say no to that kind of money. How to say no to that? It’s remarkable to be a working actor, and on top of that, to be in a visible series. And on top of that, to be on a phenomenal show known around the world and play a character who is loved around the world. It’s very exhilarating, ”he shares. “This [was] a lot to deal with, and not wanting to give up because you never know if you will work again and be successful again.

Um, get us the smallest violin in the world. Read the entire extract on THR.