Patrick Dempsey says he's 'grateful' he returned to 'Grey's Anatomy'

Patrick Dempsey is satisfied with how "Grey's Anatomy" provided closure for his character, Derek Shepherd, who made a shocking return to the series after tragically being killed off six years ago.

Ellen Pompeo's Meredith Grey met her late husband on a picturesque beach at the start of season 17 while fighting for her life against COVID-19. After spending several episodes deciding whether or not to stay in the afterlife with Derek, Meredith chose to return to their kids, but not before marrying him again and exchanging a new set of vows.

Speaking with Variety, Dempsey said he was pleased with how the beach arc ended.

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"I thought it was a beautiful way to close it," he said. "The intention was to really give people some hope because they are such an iconic couple."

"We’ve lost so many people this year, the thought that we’d have angels hovering around us taking care of us is a good message to send out in such a bleak world that we’re living in. So for all of us, it was a beautiful ending to this story," the 55-year-old noted.

As for whether or not this is Derek Shepard's final bow, the star teased, "Who knows? Never say never with this show, right?"

Dempsey also teased the upcoming sequel to the 2007 film "Enchanted," saying, "I’ve been talking to director [Adam Shankman]. The story is getting better and better. There’s a great cast coming together."

The Emmy nominee also confirmed that his character, Robert Philip, gets to do a little more this time around: "I get to sing and dance."

Dempsey also said the sequel is coming at the right time. "We need some escapism right now," he said. "We need those romantic comedies and those musicals to get people out of the doldrums."