Grey's Anatomy cannot be imagined without the charming McDreamy, portrayed stunningly by Patrick Dempsey.

Ellen Pompeo, who plays the principal character of Meredith Grey, recently said that Patrick Dempsey was not the first choice to play Dr. Derek Shepherd. Isaiah Washington was being considered for the role. Washington lost out to Patrick Dempsey and bagged the role of Dr. Preston Burke.

"Grey's Anatomy" is currently in its tenth season and has completed 200 episodes. The character of Dr. Preston Burke, portrayed by Isaiah Washington, became history after three seasons. At the time, it was reported that Washington had to quit the show after he passed comments on T.R. Knight's, who played George O'Malley, sexual orientation. Dr. Burke was the love interest of Cristina Yang (Sandra Oh).

Pompeo said that Shonda Rhimes, creator of "Grey's Anatomy," had intended to cast Isaiah Washington as her character's boyfriend. "Shonda really wanted to put a black man in the mix. I didn't think they were really going to put an interracial couple on the show and I didn't want him," she told New York Post. "It was too close to home." The actress is married to African-American music producer, Chris Ivery.

"I said I wanted that Dempsey kid. I think that once Isaiah did not get the role it backfired."

Talking about Katherine Heigl leaving "Grey's Anatomy," Pompeo saif that it was "tough" when Heigl quit the show. She says that Heigl quit "Grey's Anatomy" after getting her contract renewed, with a big raise.

"You could understand why she (Heigl) wanted to go -- when you're offered $12 million a movie and you're only 26," Pompeo said to New York Post. According to Pompeo, Heigl should not have renewed her contract.

"She re-upped, took a big raise and then tried to get off the show. And then her movie career did not take off," Pompeo said.

According to reports, Sandra Oh is the last to quit the show. The actress will be leaving "Grey's Anatomy" after the tenth season.