Patrick Dempsey as an actor is in the enviable position of being one of the most recognisable actors on TV. His role as Derek Shephard on Grey’s Anatomy, despite dramatically leaving the behemoth of a series back in Season 11 (it’s currently on Season 20), was definitive not just for Dempsey but the worryingly popular show as a whole. His relationship with the eponymous lead Meredith Grey was, to a certain generation, the definitive picture of a great relationship. Oh, and if this all sounds like I know far too much about Grey’s Anatomy, blame my wife. I’ve been hearing about Derek’s perfect hair for years. Needless to say, the opportunity to talk to the actor without her in the room didn’t go down all too well.
And yet what most fans of Grey’s Anatomy, my wife included, don’t realise is that Meredith – and indeed acting – isn’t quite Dempsey’s first love. No, his passions lie away from the silver screen and behind the wheel. That would be cars – specifically, race cars: “I’ve always loved racing since I was a small boy,” reminisces Dempsey. “My dad was a big fan of it, so I grew up watching car racing.”
That’s a story most of us can get on board with. I remember Sundays watching F1 with my dad (a sport that didn’t really stick with me beyond then). But for Dempsey, as soon as he got behind the wheel, it went much, much further.
Patrick racing for Proton Racing, sponsored by Tag Heuer
“I started with a Skip Barber three-day competition certificate that was a gift from my wife and then after that I did another racing school in Georgia, and then started racing in Panoz racing cars. I slowly worked my way up to IMSA and then onto the American Le Mans, and then WEC. I started racing in the early 2000s.”
Coming relatively late in life to racing, Dempsey was never going to be an F1 contender; they start go-karting before they can walk. Indeed, there aren’t that many proper events that an amateur can take part in except for a particular sub-set of races that I’m sure have already sprung to mind among the automotive-minded: endurance racing.
Celebrting the teas win at the FIA World Endurance Championship’s Six Hours of Fuji (2015)
Dempsey’s done more than take part in the likes of Le Mans and 24 Hours of Sebring. In 2015, he won the FIA World Endurance Championship’s Six Hours of Fuji under his own team, Dempsey Racing-Proton. So, while he may be an amateur driver, he’s a serious one. His key to success is also relatively simple: consistency.
“You’re mixed with a pro driver and a semi-pro driver and endurance racing is certainly about speed but it’s more about consistency. Understanding your role on the team, consistency with your pace, staying out of trouble, and handing the car off so that the next driver has a good car to drive. Situational awareness is key. You’re racing in multiple classes, so managing traffic and faster cars are key to a safe and successful race. Basically, the team that makes the fewest mistakes does the best – the mantra is simple: ‘stay out of the pits.’”
It’s no surprise then that when Hollywood needed an actor that not only had on-screen charisma, but could handle himself behind the wheel of a car, they went to Dempsey. The role in question was as Piero Taruffi, the man that Ferrari staked their reputation on to win the Mille Miglia back in 1957. It was a big gamble and a big win for the prancing horse, as the rather intense Ferrari film – also starring Adam Driver and Penelope Cruz – illustrates. It also made Taruffi a giant in the then- nascent racing world.
“He was an incredibly successful driver,” explains Dempsey, “and I think because he lived in a period when so many other drivers died prematurely his record is sometimes overlooked. It was a great honour to be able to meet his son and daughter and to play him in the movie, he had a long career Formula endurance racing road racing. He was an engineer. He understood aerodynamics and wrote an incredible book on the technique of car racing.”
Patrick Dempsey as Piero Taruffi
It’s obvious that Dempsey admires Taruffi and why not? He was and is a legend, even outside of his formative Ferrari drive. And yet for Dempsey, a racer himself, getting into the right mindset was never an issue. He knows what it’s like to race, especially in an endurance event like the Mille Miglia. Instead, he needed to nail the look.”
“Every role is different. Every preparation is different depending on the type of character that you’re playing. Here that mainly meant getting the visual aspect correct. I was able to do a lot of testing, and that really helped me get into the role.”
After bleaching his hair blond, he certainly had the suave Italian driver’s signature style covered. Thow in a flawlessly styled vintage wardrobe and the Prancing Horse to match and there you have it – all but the watch, which in the case of the film, was a TAG Heuer.
Patrick is an ambassador of Tag Heuer.
“I have always collected TAG Heuer watches and timepieces. We had a stopwatch that I had wardrobe make this special wristband for, which was true to a lot of the racers of that time, where they would time certain sections of the race and they knew where they needed to be, and at what time — so that was fun working with TAG Heuer and heritage department.”
The result is a film that even die-hard historical purists can appreciate for its authenticity. That authenticity, of course, wasn’t just about the looks either as Dempsey added one thing that most actors can’t: he didn’t need a stunt man.
“I had an opportunity to do all of my driving in the film,” says Dempsey. “It really reignited my love and desire to get back behind the wheel and do some more racing.”
Indeed, if he had his wish, Dempsey would likely spend far more time on the track than in front of the camera. Sure, his turn in Ferrari is more than solid and he’s still one of the most famous hair dos in all of fictional doctoring, but for him, there’s a clear winner in what he really wants to do: “acting is my profession,” he says, “racing is my passion.”
More details at Tag Heuer.
