It was a scandal. No, it was an injustice. To be beaten like that, in the prime of Grey’s Anatomy, by Matt Damon? Patrick Dempsey deserved more. He deserved to be named People magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive.

Throughout the early aughts, the honor kept passing television’s chief heartthrob by, leaving him a perpetual Sexiest Man bridesmaid—one who estimates he was named a runner-up for the year’s most important honor a whopping 10 times. Back in 2008, the star promised Vanity Fair Italia that he would strive to reach the mountaintop the following year: “I have to study something for a foolproof campaign,” Dempsey said. “I will ask [George] Clooney, who is an expert. If I’m not mistaken, he has already won a couple of times.”

It took 15 years for Dempsey to make good on his promise. At the age of 57, he has finally been named the Sexiest Man—ironically, after publicly drawing flack for dyeing his famous hair platinum blond, then shaving it all off. For that, we can blame his latest film role: Italian race car driver Piero Taruffi, a highlight of Michael Mann’s Ferrari.

The film focuses on Adam Driver’s Enzo Ferrari as he prepares for the 1957 Mille Miglia race. Taruffi is among his most trusted men—an experienced racer who knows what it takes to win. He’s got a lot in common with Dempsey: a passion for the racetrack, an ease in the face of life’s most dangerous swerves, a gentle stubbornness. “I’ve been on the trail of this script for 15 years,” the actor says. He speaks softly, looking you straight in the eye, focusing more on wisdom than charm. He wears a pinstripe suit, a light beige pullover, and a pair of loafers without socks. His hair has grown back too—though now it’s perhaps a little grayer.

Vanity Fair: How did you originally get involved in Ferrari?

Patrick Dempsey: I met Michael [Mann] through Motorsport, a car event. And I had read his script many years ago, maybe 15 years ago. He really captures the essence of Peter Brock’s book. I kept tracking it, and there was an actor attached to play Enzo, and that fell through because there was a racing movie that didn’t do well financially. And then Ford v Ferrari did really well, and Drive to Survive has just blown up Formula 1. So now people really love it. So the opportunity came up.

I was like, “Hey Michael, can I read the new script?” He told me what was going on and where it was at, and I’m like, “Look, I’ll be a PA on the movie. I’ll do anything. I just want to be a part of it.” He goes, “Okay, let me think about it.” And I don’t hear anything for a couple months. And then all of a sudden I get a call like, “Okay, you want to do Taruffi?” I go “Absolutely.”

Why did you connect with Piero Taruffi?

All these other drivers that died, they became legends. Because Piero Taruffi survived, I don’t think he got the attention he deserves. He started racing very early on with the support of his family, racing motorcycles, achieved great success there. He understood aerodynamics. He had won every major endurance race except the Mille Miglia. He always had great success and took great care of his cars, but he also raced hard.

What did you think the first time you saw yourself in the mirror as Taruffi?

It was a very arduous process. Because we were still in the COVID era, I didn’t have enough time to get a wig fitted. We dyed it and we couldn’t get the color right. So we had one week [where] my scalp was just blistered because we had burned it, and then we finally got it right. That was the hardest part of the movie, getting the color right, and the style. But once we did that, we had the image.

What’s really funny is by the end of the shoot, I had a helmet on and I had like, a chemical cut because my hair was just destroyed. It started falling out and breaking off. So that’s why I had to shave my head.

You told GQ that you feel more comfortable in a sports car than in Hollywood.

Yes. It’s just a different mentality. You know if you’re fast or not. So success in Hollywood, it’s very hard to tell. It’s not like you can look at the data and go, “Oh, okay.” But I just feel more at home within the racing community. There’s a camaraderie there because I think the stakes are so high: the vulnerability is there, the danger is there, the respect is there.

Where does this passion for cars and engines come from?

It started really early on with my father. On Friday nights, he would bring me a little Matchbox car. He was a big racing fan; he was a team owner. He raced a little bit as a young man, and I wanted to be a ski racer. I wanted to be Ingemar Stenmark. [Alberto] Tomba is another great. He’s a very shy and quiet man, but he’s a great character.

Why did you choose to become an actor?

I kind of fell into acting accidentally—but racing and skiing, these were all my passions.

Do you remember your first audition?

Yes. It was for Torch Song Trilogy. I was doing summer theater in Maine, and I flew to New York and I auditioned for Harvey Fierstein. I remember my father gave me a certain amount of money and a certain number of trips, and he goes, “If you can get a job within this period, you can do it. If not, then you’re going to have to come back.” And it was my first job, and I got it.

Did you get a Ferrari after filming wrapped?

I almost got one on this film. I was about to go do a test drive on one of the new cars, and I got a call: “Michael wants you to come to set.” And we had the track all set up to do some laps and everything, and we had to do a sequence that he changed the schedule. So I never ended up getting one. It’s a bit tricky, because I have my deal and I still race with Porsche. But I have to say, within the racing community, there’s much love and respect between the two brands. So they gave me the blessing. I haven’t received mine yet, but hopefully in the future I will.

It’s been eight years now since you left Grey’s Anatomy. What do you miss the most?

I’ve gone as far as I can in that journey. So for me, I’m done with it. But people, it’s still very much alive for them. And it’s a bit tricky because I’m not really allowed to talk about this, but it will always be there. I learned so much for that character. I’m grateful for it. I just hope people allow me to do something else.

What I’m learning is people just want compassion and empathy, and that’s what’s lacking in the world. And I think that’s why people love Derek Shepherd.

Exactly.

People want to believe in love, in romance. And people don’t understand that I am married—and I’m not married to Meredith Grey.

Original story from Vanity Fair Italia.