FOX/Ray Mickshaw(LOS ANGELES) — Rob Lowe has an impressive list of TV credits that includes The West Wing, The Grinder, Californication, Parks and Recreation, as well as his latest turn on Ryan Murphy’s Fox drama 9-1-1: Lone Star — with one notable misstep.
The 56-year-old actor passed on what became a career-rebounding role for Patrick Dempsey, playing surgeon Derek “McDreamy” Shepherd on the Shonda Rhimes hit Grey’s Anatomy.
However, Lowe has no regrets about his decision, telling Variety that he has learned to stay focused on the future rather than the past.
“This is what longevity, experience and recovery give you. There are no accidents,” he says. “Whatever decision you come to, if you come to it from the right place, it’s never wrong.”
In fact, Lowe’s not even sure he was right for the show in the first place.
“Me in that part isn’t as interesting as Patrick in that part,” he insists. “If it’d been me (the fans) wouldn’t have called me ‘McDreamy,’ they would have called me Rob Lowe.”
Besides, says Lowe, passing on Grey’s Anatomy gave him the chance to show off his comedy chops, playing the eternally optimistic government official Chris Traeger in the NBC hit comedy Parks and Recreation.
“Had I done Grey’s, I wouldn’t have been in Parks and Recreation,” he says. “That alone for me is enough.”
By George Costantino
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