&ldquo;Grey&rsquo;s Anatomy&rdquo; star Patrick Dempsey graced PEOPLE&rsquo;s <a href="https://people.com/patrick-dempsey-people-sexiest-man-alive-2023-exclusive-8391684">cover story</a> as the Sexiest Man Alive, the magazine announced Wednesday, Nov. 8.&nbsp;
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m glad it&rsquo;s happening at this point in my life,&rdquo; Dempsey told the magazine.&nbsp;
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s nice to have the recognition, and certainly my ego takes a little bump, but it gives me the platform to use it for something positive,&rdquo; he added.&nbsp;
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Dempsey noted that the news came in as a shock, and he thought it was a joke.&nbsp;&nbsp;
&ldquo;I was completely shocked, and then I started laughing, like, this is a joke, right? I&rsquo;ve always been the bridesmaid!&rdquo; he said.&nbsp;
The actor will play Italian driver Piero Taruffi in the biopic &ldquo;Ferrari&rdquo; which earlier received an agreement from SAG-AFTRA during the actors&rsquo; strike.&nbsp;
Dempsey also starred in iconic films, &ldquo;Enchanted,&rdquo; &ldquo;Bridget Jones Diary,&rdquo; and &ldquo;Sweet Home Alabama.&rdquo;

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Patrick Dempsey named PEOPLE's 2023 Sexiest Man Alive