Patrick Dempsey on Fatherhood and Couples Therapy

Patrick Dempsey is certainly on a high lately ... just won a People's Choice Award earlier in the week, he and his wife, Jill, are expecting twins and Grey's Anatomy is doing well in the ratings war.

He recently sat down with Life Magazine to chit chat about heavy topics like fatherhood, marriage and more. You can read the complete interview here, but some excerpts are below:

LIFE: In your new movie, Freedom Writers, you're the husband of a public-school teacher—played by Hilary Swank—who works with challenged teens.
DEMPSEY: I needed to be part of that movie. When I read the script, I was like, "I have to do this."

LIFE: Why did it hold such appeal for you?
DEMPSEY: Because of what's going on with this country's educational system. People are attacking one another for different reasons—whether it's because of religion or ethnicity. It's sort of a microcosm of our reality.

LIFE: Does education worry you, as a parent?
DEMPSEY: It concerns me now with my children. How do I develop them and their learning styles? Reading to my daughter has been therapeutic. I've gone back and started to learn to read on a very basic level. I'm reading Dr. Seuss, and I'm healing that part of myself, as well as developing my daughter.

LIFE: In what ways has fatherhood changed you?
DEMPSEY: Now making money is about providing for my children. And being a father makes you look at yourself. You look at your marriage and go "How do I improve this? How do I keep growing and create a stable environment for my children?"

LIFE: So how do you and Jillian work on your relationship? Are you in couples' therapy?
DEMPSEY: Yeah, we go in for checkups and go "Hey, here's what we need to work on." We've had a very good relationship from the beginning [the Dempseys have been married since 1999], but you run into things you have to work through. And [therapy] is easier than fighting with someone.

LIFE: Okay, let's talk about the "incident"- your on-set tussle with costar Isaiah Washington [in which Washington and Dempsey reportedly engaged in a heated exchange]. What happened?
DEMPSEY: I was talking [on the phone] to Grey's executive producer Mark Gordon's office. I honestly didn't know that everybody was ready. It could have been dealt with. Say "Hey, I have a problem with you coming late to the set." There was some insecurity about a lot of things that were happening, and it came out inappropriately. We discussed it and were ready to move on. Then it broke on a national level.

LIFE: How did the leak affect you?
DEMPSEY: The environment is not very safe when people are selling you out [to the tabloids] to make money. A set is a very vulnerable arena to work in: You have to allow yourself your emotions. Sometimes they run over inappropriately. Unless you talk about it, you let it build up. [But] if you're constantly looking over your shoulder, be it at the extras or crew, it creates a bad energy. I don't trust anyone around me.

LIFE: McDreamy is a national heartthrob. What part did jealousy play in the squabble?
DEMPSEY: It's a big family. You have one plate of pasta. Everybody wants to make sure they eat enough, that they feel nourished. What we learned as a cast is that we really need to take care of ourselves, communicate with one another. You're there 15, 16 hours a day. You're not going to be Mr. Nice Guy or Mrs. Nice Lady all the time.

LIFE: One of the biggest challenges on a hospital drama can be repetition. When you read a new Grey's script, what makes you groan?
DEMPSEY: Last season, Meredith [Ellen Pompeo's character] and I couldn't resolve our relationship, so it was the longing. I'd be like, "I've gotta do this elevator scene again? How am I going to make this fresh?"

LIFE: You went through a 10-year period when it was difficult for you to get work.
DEMPSEY: My agents would say "You have to go in and read for this part." And I'd say "You have no idea what it takes for me to go in there positive. It takes me two days to get psyched up for it."

LIFE: Luckily, you and Ellen Pompeo must have had great chemistry during your audition. DEMPSEY: They didn't offer me the part. I got it because Rob Lowe turned it down. But first I had to test with her, so she had all the cards. She was very attentive during my audition, and I felt . . . welcomed. Also, she had a Boston accent, and I'm from Maine. I found that endearing.

LIFE: Didn't you recently buy property there?
DEMPSEY: I grew up on a country road [in Maine]. I bought the house I always dreamed about living in as a kid, as well as a [farmhouse] next door for my mother. When I did it, I felt a huge shift in my psyche. I got the keys, and I walked through the empty house and thought, If it all goes to hell, I have a place to live. It gives you peace of mind. I was like, "Wow, I've come a long way."

LIFE: Could you really just walk away?
DEMPSEY: I'll see how long the show goes. What happens to my film career. Then I'll try to remove myself from this hectic lifestyle and live in a small town for a while. I want my kids to be able to run around. I'm ready to go to Maine.