Patrick Dempsey, aka Dr. Derek Shepherd on Grey’s Anatomy, snagged the cover for Entertainment Weekly’s annual photo issue, which also includes a 10-page portfolio capturing Mr. McDreamy. Here is a bit of Patrick Dempsey’s interview:

On landing/modeling in the pages of a J. Crew catalog: ‘’It was fun to fulfill that kind of [preppy] role. It was just one of those things that was helping to change my image.’’

On his metamorphosis from McDorky to McDreamy in 1999: ‘’I went and did other things, like starting a relationship that was loving and nurturing (his marriage to makeup artist Jillian Fink).”

On Dr. Shepherd’s romance with the will-o’-the-wisp resident played by Ellen Pompeo: ‘I’d like to see him marry Meredith. ‘All the relationships on the show are deeply flawed, but I think there should be a healthy one to be found somewhere.’’

On his upcoming Disney comedy-fantasy-musical film: ‘’There’s nothing wrong with making a commercial movie if you’re telling a good story. Enchanted felt like the right movie to make. With all the violence in the world, it provides a nice escape. I don’t like pretentious movies. We’re entertainers. We’re not saving lives.’’