KIDS IN THE ’HOOD: Patrick Dempsey almost didn’t recognize his old West Village neighborhood when he was in New York filming the Disney flick “Enchanted” during the summer. But it wasn’t the manicured parks or the perfectly paved bike path along the West Side Highway that surprised him — it was all the children’s clothing stores.
“There are so many of them,” he said, laughing. The “Grey’s Anatomy” star has a daughter, Tallulah, four, with his wife, Jillian Fink. Dempsey did not single out any one retailer, but Polo Ralph Lauren, Ibiza Kidz, Yoyamart, Baby Moves and Peanut Butter and Jane are among the stores selling children’s clothing. Given the stream of strollers on the sidewalks, the children’s hair salon Doodle Doo’s and pharmacy Kids Rx nearby don’t seem like a stretch.
Asked what he thought about the abundance of pricy threads, Dempsey said, “It’s completely horrible. They are expensive and they grow out of them in a few years.” But there’s an upside. “Cousins and any potential siblings will get better hand-me-downs,” he added.
While his role as surgeon Derek Shepherd on the ABC series is not exactly child-friendly, his part in “Enchanted” is better geared for youngsters. The actor warmed to the idea that the part-animation, part-feature film would be something his daughter would enjoy. Plus, she had the thrill of dropping by the set. “I wanted to do something that would be appealing for my daughter to see,” Dempsey said. “It’s a great memory for a four-year-old to see a huge ballroom filled with all different kings and queens.”
When she visited him on location in Central Park in July, Tallulah dressed for the occasion, wearing a blue short-sleeved dress with an iridescent green cummerbund and ruby red slippers.
Taking on a feature that is “an old-fashioned musical and a screwball comedy at the same time” was a switch for the easygoing actor, who grew up in Maine and has a house there.
As for his own style, Dempsey said, “The older I get, the more I want to look hipper than I am.”