Iâm going to tell you something that might surprise you⦠I thought âEnchantedâ was a really good movie. And based on the crowd reaction from when I saw it, Iâm positive that Disney has a big hit on their hands.
For those that don't know, the film is a mixture of live action and classic 2D animation... but itâs a lot more than that. Itâs a classic Disney film in every sense of the word, and one that families will love.
The film features a princess, an evil step-mother, a prince, animals that can talk, original songs by composer Alan Menken and lyricist Stephen Schwartz, and a great cast that absolutely makes you believe whatâs happening could be real.
If you donât know the story, âEnchantedâ is about a few typical Disney animated characters that get sent to the real world, but they donât change the way they act or think. Amy Adams (who is the best part of the movie) plays a princess who meets the man of her dreams (James Marsden), but soon after the wicked step-mother (Susan Sarandon) sends her away so she can keep her throne. While in the real world Amy meets Patrick Dempsey⦠and thatâs when it starts to get interesting. As I said, this is going to be a big hit for Disney and families will eat it up this Thanksgiving.
So to help promote the movie, I got to interview most of the cast and the interview below is with Patrick âMc Dreamyâ Dempsey. During our roundtable interview he talked about âGreyâs Anatomy,â making âEnchanted,â what else he has coming up, and why he picks certain roles to star in. If youâre a fan of Patrick youâll dig the interview.
As always, you can either read the transcript below or download the audio as an MP3 by clicking here.
Finally, if you missed the movie clips from âEnchantedâ you can watch them hereâ¦and Matt wrote a review and thatâs here.
âEnchantedâ opens tomorrow at theaters everywhere.
Patrick Dempsey: Have you all seen the movie?
A few journalists say âYes, itâs an enchanting film.â
Patrick: It is; itâs very special.
Q: Were you disappointed that you didnât get to be a cartoon character?
Patrick: Well, Iâm hoping it does well enough so thereâs a sequel and we go back to Andalasia and we can call it Disenchanted, she gives birth to a child and doesnât like it, then sheâs like, âI want to go back to the cartoon world.â
Q: Youâre almost like the straight man in this
Patrick: Well that was the hard part is everybodyâs having a great time over acting and being brilliant, and I had to kind of just drive the narrative, which was challenging. That was the most difficult part, but I just wanted to be a part of it because itâs hard to find stories that are original and different, but yet there was something about this that was timeless and familiar as well, so it felt like it was entertaining on a lot of levels. As a parent, itâs a nice family film, but also itâs a good date movie as well and something you can go and find entertaining, and I think the symbolism in it, and the archetypes are really fascinating. It was different, and at the time I thought it was the right move to make, and still do.
Q: Can you talk about the bird in the face â how many times did you do that?
Patrick: That was just that one take. It kind of just happened perfectly. The big thing was like that was the first two scenes were the ones with the rats and the birds, and it was like, âOh my God, what have I gotten myself into?â because I never felt completely comfortable in the movie, quite honestly, and maybe that works for the character.
Q: What about the Central Park sequence and that whole musical number?
Patrick: That was the best. I think my favorite part was obviously rehearsing for the dance number at the end with Cha-Cha (John OâConnell) who did Strictly Ballroom and Moulin Rouge, and I think the amount of sensitivity and artistry that he brought to making you feel that every move you made in the dance was so vital to the story, that to me was probably the most enjoyable part of the process. And in the dancing numbers and certainly in Central Park, working in Manhattan doing something like that is just unbelievable.
Q: You said you werenât comfortable with this movie
Patrick: Well, yeah, because everybodyâs so larger-than-life that youâre trying to figure out do you have the right tone, are you hitting the right beats emotionally and comedically without going over the edge, and the more youâre, I think, honest, the better it is for people to come in and then sort of see the world through Robertâs eyes, I think thatâs how people start to react, and that was really challenging. And certainly with Amy, [it was just] unbelievable to watch her, it made my job a lot easier, all I had to do was just listen and watch her and react to what she was giving me, but I never felt comfortable, it was always sort of kind of strange stylistically.
Q: Did you have a favorite Disney movie growing up?
Patrick: Not really, no, I didnât. I mean, I like them all. Theyâre all different types of movies. Of course now with kids you see them all 19 times. We just finally broke out of Peter Pan and weâre moving on now.
Q: To what?
Patrick: Enchanted. The website â she was like, âCan I go to the website and play with the games?â And âWhenâs the princess coming over?â and âIs the chipmunk at the junket?â So thatâs really cute and itâs fun.
Q: We wish it was actually.
Patrick: Yeah, it would be fun.
Q: Are you a no nonsense guy or a romantic at heart?
Patrick: A little bit of both I think, depends on the mood. Defining romance is very tricky, because I think thereâs a lot that kind of goes into romance, and itâs not just necessarily candles and flowers.
Q: Is he closer to you or is Shepherd closer to you?
Patrick: I think thereâs always a part of you in all of the characters â thereâs a part of me in all of them, because thereâs certainly the part [of] the father thatâs in Robert thatâs in me.
Q: Are you surprised that the TV show is almost reignited your career?
Patrick: Oh absolutely, itâs unbelievable. Itâs really unbelievable.
Q: Why do you think that showâs got such a following?
Patrick: Well I think there are a lot of different archetypes that people can identify with, and I think itâs sort of the young men and women in the work place who have identified with the interns initially. I think it came at the right time when Sex and the City was phasing out, Friends was phasing out, and it came in and filled that void at that time. I think the ensemble, the music all add to it. Thereâs something compelling about the characters that people really identify with.
Q: Whatâs the mood on the set this year?
Patrick: Much better. I think now basically people are really wanting the storylines to more forward a little faster than they are and I think Shondaâs really trying to â finding her way balancing out the two shows, and really we find her to be much more receptive this season, certainly in the middle part of the season where sheâs looking for more feedback and collaboration from people than she had in the past.
Q: Unless somethingâs changing while weâre speaking, the strike is probably going to happen tomorrow â do you know how much more scripts are left to shoot?
Patrick: Weâve only done 11, so weâre halfway through our season. We are probably going to finish out this next episode the next week or so, and that will give us 11 shows for this season, and that could be it for the year. Itâs tragic I think, not necessarily for us, the actors, but I think the crew and people in town are going to be hit hard by this if it continues for too long.
Q: What do you think youâll do during this down time?
Patrick: Well, it gives me a little bit of a break I think certainly to just kind of rest and be with my family, and the holiday season is coming up, so it doesnât affect me as dramatically as other people I think.
Q: Will it affect the way that the TV season will be shortened or lengthened in any sort of way?
Patrick: I think itâs always dangerous when you have a strike â I remember the strike in â88 and itâs damaging financially to the State and to everybody involved, and certainly to the supporting business around this industry are going to get hit. And the people that are living paycheck to paycheck with families, itâs going to be devastating for them, itâs tragic. And the real problem is like how do you define the new technology? How do you know where thatâs going to go? Everybody deserves a piece of the pie; I just hope that greed doesnât get in the way. But itâs Hollywood, so who knows.
Q: Youâve done theatre, so what was it like dancing and working with Idina?
Patrick: There was a great moment when we were doing a dance number, it was like a late Friday night and it was a really wide shot and we started just making some music and the band caught on, and then the dancers caught on, and it sort of became like this âFameâ moment, where everybody broke into spontaneous dance, and it was really special in the sense where you felt like there was a true company there with the dancers. And the spirit of the dancers I have to say was I think the best part of the experience for me certainly. There was something true and creative about that that brings you back to the moment when you first fell in love with acting I think.
Q: If Disney said that they wanted to take a chance with this as a franchise, are you signed on for any sequels?
Patrick: Oh I think it would be fun to explore, yeah, as long as the stories are good. I really loved working with Amy, and I think Jamie is an unbelievable comedian, I didnât realize that when I first found out about him being a part of it. And then the first scene I see him in, heâs this over-the-top with the shoulders and the voice and the singing, it was really something else. And I think if we can come up with a really good story thatâs I think meaningful - it sort of changes the image of what a princess is, and she protects the male energy at the end, which is great, so the feminine comes in and takes over the male and then saves it, which I think is a great symbol and very cool. So if they can continue on and think on that level, so it has a lot of depth to it, I think certainly it would be fun. I think thereâs room for improvement certainly, always.
Q: Is it a challenge to find things that really interest you during the limited time you have off?
Patrick: Yeah, I think so. Right now I really donât want to do anything violent. I think we have too much violence in the world, and itâs really important to do movies that are light, you have to really kind of think of it as like during the war or during the depression era movies we need to have those screwball comedies come back that are smart, that are fun, that are good spirited, that werenât so negative so that people can â because I want to go and escape for two hours or an hour and a half, I donât want to come home and have to deal with the news and all of that stuff, itâs just so bleak, that for me personally I want to just kind of check for an hour and a half.
Q: That comes from your being a father I imagine.
Patrick: I think so certainly more so, Iâm more aware of things now than I was before.
Q: How do you like being the father of twins, has that been kind of a surprising experience?
Patrick: Last week I got home to projectile vomiting last night, so it was like wow, back to reality. You have a day itâs like youâre like this, this and this, and then all of a sudden youâre like projectile vomiting and everything smells like vomit. So if you have kids you understand. I really love it, I think it keeps surprising me, and really I start to enjoy it more and more.
Q: Is it more challenging than you thought or easier than you thought?
Patrick: Itâs different, itâs easier and more challenging, because thereâs three kids that you have to kind of â you develop an individual relationship with all of them, so that you have to have time with each one separately, and getting the time to do that and â at the same time thereâs something really comforting in a house full of people and kids, it surprises me, because I usually like being alone, but Iâm really loving it.
Q: How do you raise kids not to be cynical in a cynical world?
Patrick: I donât know, thatâs the challenge, I mean really thatâs the challenge right now. Thatâs the biggest worry I have.
Q: This movieâs about innocence.
Patrick: Yeah, but Robertâs also saying donât buy into the hype of even though life is miserable and you need to know that right away, heâs a little more severe than I would be certainly, and Iâd read all the â itâs fun for me to be reading the Disney stories at night before I go to bed to her and kind of reliving my childhood through my children. But itâs difficult here I think, because thereâs so much wealth, and so much that people get in the schools and things like that, you wonder how do you keep that in perspective? I would ideally love to get my career in a place where I have enough money where I can live anywhere in the country or in the world, we spent time doing a movie in Europe and I really love the countryside of England.
Q: Which movie?
Patrick: Made of Honor for Sony which comes out in May with Michelle Monaghan. Romantic comedy. That was challenging and I really loved being in Europe and it was great for my family to come over there. We did a lot of theater and horseback riding and visited the country a bit and I liked that.
Q: How does it feel to have a doll of yourself?
Patrick: [Laughs] Itâs surreal. Itâs really surreal when your daughterâs playing with Giselle and herself right there and theyâre talking. But Iâm having a blast. Iâm really enjoying everything. I think at this point in my life, itâs been a long road to get to here and the steps that Iâm taking hopefully will allow me to have a nice career.
Q: You were very successful when you were young for a period of time. Is it more satisfying being successful now than it was when you were younger? What did you learn from that first bout of fame?
Patrick: I think at first youâre not sure youâre worthy of the attention. I think it kind of threw me off. I wasnât quite prepared for it because I was doing it for the sake of doing it and not worrying about the end result. And then suddenly I donât think you realize how much responsibility you have once you get into that position of either greenlighting movies or things like that and the choices that you make. If youâre not making money for people, youâre going to be pushed aside. So I wasnât really clear on how the business operated. And I donât think I was really confident in who I was as a person. More so now I feel like Iâve worked my way through a lot of hardship and really appreciate where Iâm at right now. I get the joke of the business. Iâm under no illusion of whatâs going on here and why certain attention is coming my way and you have to be careful of that. There are good people and there are bad people and I think itâs a question of how you just keep your feet on the ground and stay focused and not buy into all the hype.
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Q: Who keeps you in line?
Patrick: Family keeps me in line. Certainly it was a long road to get to this point.
Q: Does having traveled that road make you a better actor?
Patrick: I think life experience has certainly. I think the key to acting any more is really just presence and not being self conscious and listening and certainly relaxation is the key. And you just have to accept who you are, the good and the bad of it.
Q: So at the end of 11 episodes, is there any resolution or cliffhanger or something that indicates the end of a season?
Patrick: Yeah, well itâs interesting how it timed out. There will be something thatâ¦Iâm really happy with where my character is at. There definitely will be a cliffhanger. Youâre gonna want to know whatâs gonna happen.
Q: Do you think that the TV audiences want you and Grey to get together?
Patrick: I think they do, certainly, but I think weâve become really stagnant in the relationship. Iâm tired of going back and forth and playing the same bead over and over and I think thatâs been the biggest conversation weâve had. Itâs like we need to move forward with the dynamic between the two of them. And also Iâd just like to see something else happen.
Q: Who do you play in Made of Honor?
Patrick: I play a guy who is extremely successful because he invented the coffee collar. A coffee collar, you know, they keep you from burning your hand. And heâs a bit of a playboy and heâs really good friends with Michelle Monaghanâs character. Theyâre best friends and she goes off and falls in love with this Scottish man, then comes back and asks him to be the maid of honor and at that point he realizes how much he really loves her and that sheâs the perfect girl for him and then he has to go and try to figure out how to sabotage the marriage and the wedding.
Q: Is it surprising to you that after 20 years theyâre still making romantic comedies where it was your best friend all along that you should have married?
Patrick: Well thereâs only so many stories when it comes to that, you know. So I think that was the challenge for us. We were like, âOkay, this is a predictable story. How do you go about making it interesting and giving it a new point of view?â That was the real challenge of how to do that and I like the old Cary Grant movies and that kind of thing and there are a lot of good comedians right now that I think are much broader so we just tried to get it back to the dialogue and the spontaneity and things like that. Paul Weiland is the director. He did a movie called âSixty Six.â [Heâs an] English director and he brought a really nice visual style to it because I think in a lot of romantic comedies the lighting is very flat so the DP did âRoom with a Viewâ and all the Merchant Ivory movies so thereâs a real lush quality visually to it. And we shot in England and in the countryside so it brings it out a little bit. So weâll see. I havenât seen it yet. Iâve heard itâs good and Iâm sure everybody will let me know soon enough.
Q: If thereâs a sequel to this, would you like to sing?
Patrick: I talked to Alan (Menken) about it. Like I canât sing but it would be fun to go back and find some sort of style of singing that would be appropriate for his character.
Q: Like Rex Harrison?
Patrick: Yeah, thatâs what I was thinking. We talked about that.
Q: Talk singing.
Patrick: Yeah. Sort of a patter type of thing and some more dancing I think would be fun to do as well.
Q: When you do a Disney movie, do you get free passes to Disneyland?
Patrick: Yeah, you do. You get all the great stuff. Youâre kids love you because you get all the books and all the games and all the dolls that are out and you get free passes if you go. You canât just send your family. You have to go. So you get to go on one ride over and over again which is great.
Q: Will there be characters at the park that will be based on your film?
Patrick: I think probably Giselle will become. It depends on the success of the movie. Itâs kind of odd to think that way but yeah, probably.
Q: How many animals were real and how many were CGI?
Patrick: There were a few but not too many. Most of it was just recreated.
Q: Have you been thinking about projects to possibly do while your show is on hiatus?
Patrick: I think weâre just waiting to see how things play out. Does this movie work and then how did Made of Honor and what would be the next move? It really depends on the material. It always gets down to that. So is that another romantic comedy? I donât know. Is it an action movie? Certainly that would be fun if itâs non-violent. Thatâs the thing that youâve got to be careful of. I donât know at this point where weâre at. Iâll wait and see.
Q: How hamstrung are you by the fact that if the strike happens but then maybe ends quickly and you guys have to go right back to work, is that going to affect your ability to make decisions?
Patrick: Itâs too soon to tell. Itâs just going to depend on how much time we have off on our hiatus.
Q: So in theory they may extend the length of shooting this season?
Patrick: Right. I think thatâs still to be determined. I donât know. I think everybodyâs wondering whatâs gonna happen.
Q: On this film, did you have table reads or rehearsals? Did you and Amy get together or did you just go right into it?
Patrick: No, I had maybe a couple meetings with the writer about things that were concerning me in making that leap from bringing her home. I could never quite buy that. It was like this is a crazy woman, whatâs the logical step? You wouldnât do this in real life because you donât know if sheâs going to come in and kill the entire family. So that was a question that we kind of had to answer and I donât think we ever quite answered. You buy it because of who Amy is. You kind of let certain things go. No, I went right into it when I finished on Greyâs and then I went right into shooting right away.
Q: The little girl who plays Morgan is adorable. Because you have children, was it easier for you to connect with her in some way and help her?
Patrick: Yes and no. I mean there were certain things that were real easy and some things that were not. Because youâre like, âWell, if this was my child, Iâd be doing things differently.â So youâve got to find a balance there. But it was fun and she was rather inexperienced and that was good I think. She was an interesting looking girl and there was a good spirit to her.
Q: Would you go back and do theater now just to get that live audience experience?
Patrick: Iâve never had great experiences in the theater. I find that thereâs a lot of ego, even more so than in Hollywood. I think it would depend on the group of people, who the director was, and what the material would be. It would be far more interesting for me to go to some sort of regional theater where no one knows you. I mean they know you but they donât know you and there wouldnât be any pressure just to enjoy the process. I think the rehearsal process in theater is probably the most enjoyable. If I can do it that way, I would go back certainly. But I donât think technically my voice is where it should be to be on stage and certainly not on Broadway at the moment.
Q: Do you have a timeline for Grey? Is there a point at which you would say I think Iâve done as much as I can do with this now and itâs time to move on?
Patrick: Yeah, I think Iâll follow out my contract and then weâll have to reassess at that point. I think if the character keeps growing and is challenging, then itâs fun. Itâs nice having a job to go to every day. Iâve never had that luxury before and thatâs kind of enjoyable. I just want the character to be challenging and if it starts to become just the same old, same old, I donât know if I would want to other than just making the paycheck at that point and securing a future for my family and getting the hell out of town.
Q: What are your Thanksgiving and Christmas plans with your family? I imagine travel is limited now with two young sons.
Patrick: Yes, certainly a little more difficult going through security. Thatâs not fun at all. Iâll probably go back to Maine. I want to go back to Maine. I havenât been back for about a year because of last year with the babies coming we couldnât travel. I really like snow and itâs an old home. It was built in 1934 and weâve had it for about 10 years now. We got married there and I want my children to have that tradition.
Q: Is there a pet project or some character that youâre dying to play?
Patrick: Thereâs a couple things that Iâm exploring. I think right now if you look at the careers that I respect, everybodyâs really in control of the material and the directors that they work with and I think thatâs the direction I need to go into. So itâs really about acquiring material and certain ideas and fleshing them out and seeing if Iâll have the opportunity to go ahead and do that. So, itâs exciting I think right now. Iâm really enjoying it and this is I think a good first step moving forward. Itâs a fun family movie but I think adults will enjoy it as well. Itâs good spirited. I think itâs something really special.
Q: Thank you.
Patrick: Thanks everybody. Itâs always a pleasure talking with everybody. Thank you very much.