Patrick Dempsey Debuted White Hair And It's A Whole New Level Of McDreamy

McDreamy, is that you? At the D23 Expo, Patrick Dempsey took to the stage on Sept. 9 to accept a Legends Award alongside his former Grey’s Anatomy co-star Ellen Pompeo. Their work together spanned decades until Dempsey’s departure from the medical drama in 2015. Since taking off McDreamy’s lab coat, Dempsey has signed on to projects that have given him the opportunity to explore his range and his style. Known for his salt-and-pepper swoop-y hair, Dempsey surprised the D23 crowd with hair so shockingly white that you could almost mistake him for a Targaryen, and these photos of Patrick Dempsey’s white hair at the D23 Expo show off the unexpected new ‘do.

The new look is not inspired by House of the Dragon, though a Dempsey cameo would be iconic. With more time to explore new projects, Dempsey is currently filming the upcoming biopic Ferrari, starring in the flick as one of Italy’s most famous race car drivers, Piero Taruffi. “I’m having a great time, I get to drive a lot of fast cars,” he shared. To keep in character, Dempsey was required to dye his hair icy white to match the race car driver’s look. Taruffi is best known for winning the Mille Miglia in 1957, an open-road race that took place across Italy’s public roads.

Dempsey himself is no stranger to professional racing. He began participating in pro auto races back in 2004, and has been participating in races ever since. He even finished second in the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans amateur race back in 2015.

Dempsey has heard what everyone has to say about his white hair and loves it just as much as they do. “I love it, it's great. It's fun to do something different. Unfortunately, or fortunately, I'm known for my hair,” he explained to Variety. “So, this has really jacked up a lot of people, they don't know how to embrace it. Either they love it or they hate it.”

I am in the “I love it” camp. It’s certainly a surprising look for the man that stole everyone’s heart as the ever-charming McDreamy, but change is good! If anything, the new hair proves that Patrick Dempsey can pull off any look, especially platinum.