Patrick Dempsey Interview For ‘Transformers: Dark of the Moon’

In Michael Bay’s hugely anticipated summer blockbuster ‘Transformers: Dark of the Moon,’ Patrick Dempsey stars alongside the likes of Shia LaBeouf, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, John Turturro, Tyrese Gibson, Ken Jeong, Frances McDormand, Josh Duhamel, Alan Tudyk and John Malkovich as Dylan Gould. Check out what he had to say about the film below. ‘Transformers: Dark of the Moon’ is released in cinemas June 29th in 2D, Real D 3D and IMAX 3D.

You’re a new addition to the franchise, how was that? Can you tell us a little bit about your character?

Patrick Dempsey: Everybody was really welcoming, there was no ego, people just wanted to make a good movie. Michael Bay sets the tone with the work ethic, it was really easy to be honest. My character is Dylan Gould, he’s an investment banker, car collector, racer, I loved being around all the beautiful cars. He’s a legacy in many ways, his father was an accountant and also did a lot of business in Washington. Dylan has had to inherit the family business. His passion is restoring old automobiles though. He’s Carly’s boss, Rosie’s character, Carly is a very talented organiser, she’s my assistant, Dylan likes her on that level and also on a visual level (laughs).

It’s such a huge worldwide franchise. Everyone knows about it and it was such a beloved cartoon too. You look at the older ones and you see how it had evolved, how these characters have evolved now to this incarnation, with this movie. It’s a fascinating journey to see how they’ve all been refined and brought to life. To be a part of that is always exciting.

The shear scale of the Chicago sequences are immense, what was that like shooting?

Patrick Dempsey: The first day I arrived in Chicago there were like seven blocks shut down, cameras were running everywhere, explosions, fans all along the side of the road trying to get a glimpse of what was going on. It’s epic, they took over the town for two months or something. Every shot is huge, there’s no little shot, even a close up shot with Michael Bay, it’s pretty remarkable what goes into it. Michael is incredibly efficient too, he doesn’t waste a lot of time. You start in morning, the day just flies by, you can’t believe it. Some directors take forever to set up, he moves very quickly and makes it a fun process.

A lot is said about Michael Bay, what was your experience working with him?

Patrick Dempsey: The greatest experience ever, without question, I had a blast with him. Everybody gets down on him because he’s so vocal and passionate, I really like that energy. I think that he’s also much more sensitive that what people let on. I think more of that needs to be known to people, he does care deeply about what he’s doing, he’s really passionate about it, he wants to make a good movie, he wants to entertain people. He’s very open to your comments, very respectful. There were some beautiful moments when we had some kids come by, he shut down everything (laughs), he really gave them the time of day, I think that’s really remarkable and telling of an individual. It was the most fun I’ve had making a movie.

What do you think draws so many people to this franchise?

Patrick Dempsey: I think it’s a combination of a lot of things, I think coming through with Shia’s character brings the audience in, in many ways, he’s someone to relate to. Then I think the thought of having a Bumblebee in your garage is really exciting, for young kids, even for adults (laughs), it’s a fun notion, it’s a great sense of escape from reality in many ways. Certainly the story telling and in the way Michael Bay shoots his movies, they’re epic, his sense of composition, choreography when it comes to the action sequences and all that.

The special effects are AMAZING, but also the cast is great, John Malkovich, Frances McDormand, all these characters are really important, and different, it’s a darker movie in many ways. The themes are a little bit more adult but the young guys are still gonna like the movie, because of the action sequences, Rosie, some of the humour. There’s some great new Transformers as well. I really enjoyed working with everyone, being apart of a movie this size. It’s a fun ride, everything has huge scale to it.