Grey's Anatomy star Patrick Dempsey spoke on Thursday about the exhaustion that stems from playing the same character for more than nine years, referring to Dr. Derek Shepard on the ABC medical drama.

The actor was at the 2013 Television Critics Association Press Tour in Beverly Hills promoting his new Velocity docuseries Racing LeMans, which is about France's 24-hour sports car race. Dempsey competed in the 2009 LeMans and returned in 2013 to race again. Racing LeMans documents his journey getting to and through the race, in which he ended up finishing 29th overall.

Though he carries one of the lead roles in Grey's Anatomy, he hinted to a departure from the show when he compared the thrill of racecar driving to the restless routine of acting out the same role on the small screen. He said of acting, "that's my profession, that's my job" and then explained the contract to the thrill and "constant discovery" in racing.

"When you're in a long show, there's less discovery and more of an endurance of having to be present," Dempsey said on the stage. "I'm not necessarily bored with the show, I'm very grateful that I have a show that's on for 10 years, but I'm not the creator, I'm not the writer... [now] it's about surviving. There's not a lot of homework that goes into it. You try to be present and not get caught acting. I'm grateful I have the gig, but it's not the same thing as being in a racecar."

"[Working on a long-running series] doesn't change. In a race, it changes constantly," he added, contrasting the two. "That, to me, is very exciting and keeps me alive. Then I can go back to work and enjoy it. I think I need both, honestly."

Dempsey signed a two-year contract last May to star in Grey's Anatomy and it will keep him through the end season 10, which premieres Sept. 26. Others who signed the same contract include with Ellen Pompeo, Sandra Oh, Justin Chambers, James Pickens Jr. and Chandra Wilson.

Racing LeMans premieres Wednesday, Aug. 29 on Velocity. Grey's Anatomy returns with a two-hour premiere on Thursday, Sept. 26 at 9/8 p.m. Central on ABC.

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