Jeffrey Dean Morgan candidly reveals how his role as Denny inGrey’s Anatomychanged the trajectory of his career. Morgan rose to prominence with his role in the medical drama. He joinedtheGrey’s AnatomycastasDenny, a patient at Seattle Grace Hospitalwho had been diagnosed with viral cardiomyopathy, in season 2. Denny also appeared in seasons 3 and 5. But, with Morgan’s skyrocketing career and hisGrey’s Anatomycharacter’s status, the actor soon moved on to other projects (likeThe Walking Dead).
While speaking withPeople, Morgan recounted his time onGrey’s Anatomy. Even though he only starred in 23 episodes (out of almost 450),the actor’s time on the popular show opened the door to a world of possibilities for him.He didn’t even have to audition for most of his parts. Based on his comments, Morgan might not have been offered the role of Negan (or any of his other famous characters) outright if it wasn’t forGrey’s Anatomy. Check out Morgan’s quote below.
“That show honestly gave me a career. I was doing that,WeedsandSupernaturalsimultaneously… I’ve auditioned zero times since playing Denny Duquette… I’d been kicking around Hollywood for a long time, but nobody certainly knew who I was. My whole career launched out of that character.”
What Playing Denny In Grey’s Anatomy Has Meant For Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s Career
The Seemingly Small Role Helped Morgan Get To Where He Is Now
To this day, many still recognize Morgan for his role asDenny inGrey’s Anatomy. However, he has also starred in a variety of other popular projects that have made him a household name, the most obvious beingThe Walking Dead. As Morgan admitted, though,he likely wouldn’t be where he is today if it weren’t forGrey’s Anatomy.
Grey’s Anatomywasn’t Morgan’s first TV show. He had been active in Hollywood since the early 1990s, and he didn’t start playing Denny until 2006. But once he appeared in the ABC medical drama, everything changed. According to the actor, the auditioning process became a thing of the past. As Morgan toldThe Hollywood Reporter,he was cast inP.S. I Love YouandWatchmenbecause ofGrey’s Anatomy.Then, a decade later,The Walking Deadoffered Morgan the role of Negan, which has undoubtedly become the magnum opus of his career.
Would Morgan Be As Successful Without The ABC Series?
No one can deny that Morgan is a talented actor. If he weren’t, he wouldn’t have come this far in his career. So, even if Morgan hadn’t starred as Denny inGrey’s Anatomy, he would’ve likely found his big break somewhere else. But because he did, it’s clear that the medical drama has had a profound impact on Morgan’s success in Hollywood. The odds are that Morgan won’t reprise his role as Denny in futureseasons ofGrey’s Anatomy(for obvious reasons), but that won’t stop him from reflecting on his experience and attributing his accomplishments to the ABC show.
