Rob Lowe Turned Down a $70 Million Role on Grey's Anatomy (But He's Surprisingly Chill About it)

Originally making his name in movies such as The Outsiders and St. Elmo's Fire, Rob Lowe was a fully fledged member of the 90s Brat Pack. At the time, it seemed unlikely that he'd go on to star in TV comedies. He was a bona fide A-lister and a sought-after Hollywood Star.

And yet, all these years on, he's possibly better known among modern audiences for his role as Chris Traeger in Parks and Recreation.

But in an interview for the WTF podcast, he revealed that he turned down a major role in Grey's Anatomy. A role that many probably think he would have been ideally suited to.

Asked whether he'd ever turned down any roles, the Virginia-born actor said, 'Dude, I turned down Grey's Anatomy. To play McDreamy.'

As we know, Patrick Dempsey ended up playing the role of Dr Derek 'McDreamy' Shepherd in what is now the longest-running scripted primetime show still airing on ABC.

Dempsey played the role for 11 seasons – plus an additional guest appearance in season 17 – and is said to have earned on average $8 million per season. Which means Rob Lowe might be understating his potential loss from turning down the part.

Not that he's too bothered about it. As he says, 'Eh, it's just money.' And with an estimated net worth of $100 million, he certainly has the luxury of viewing things that way. Not bad for a man who once turned down a job worth upwards of $70 million.

Plus, he says, the role isn't one he feels he missed out on.

'At the end of the day,' Lowe said, 'it was like, I watched it when it came out. And when they started calling the handsome doctor 'McDreamy', I was like, 'Yeah, that's not for me.''

And it hasn't exactly held him back. Since opting not to join the cast of Grey's Anatomy, he's gone on to play Dean Sanderson in The Grinder, and Ethan Willis in Code Black. He's also been an Executive Producer on several shows including game show Mental Samurai and The Lowe Files – both of which he hosted.

In 2020, Lowe combined his talents when he became an executive producer on 911 Lone Star, while also taking on a starring role as Capt. Owen Strand in the emergency services procedural.

Source: WTF podcast, Celebrity Net Worth.