"That Is Not Patrick Duffy" - Jodi Benson Recalls How a Hilarious Mix-Up Defined Her Live-Action Debut in 'Enchanted'

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Amy Adams leaning against a counter while Jodi Benson answers a call in Enchanted

Most fans know Jodi Benson for her prolific voice work, headlined by her iconic role as Ariel from The Little Mermaid. In 2007, however, Disney managed to make her part of the live-action acting world with Enchanted, the beloved musical fantasy comedy homage to classic princess films from the House of Mouse. Her debut physical appearance on-screen was in an admittedly small role, but it placed her among a starry cast that included, among others, Amy Adams, James Marsden, and Patrick Dempsey at the height of his Grey's Anatomy fame. Meeting "McDreamy" also spawned a hilarious, heartwarming story which Benson was able to regale fans with at a Fan Expo San Francisco panel hosted by Collider's Taylor Gates.

Enchanted stars Dempsey as Robert, a cynical stick-in-the-mud divorce lawyer with no belief in fairy tales or true love who encounters Giselle (Adams), a real princess from a magical kingdom who was banished to the land of "no happily ever afters," aka New York City. As Giselle seeks a way back to her home and back to her prince charming Edward (Marsden), Robert gives her a place to stay, slowly softening to her as they spend time together. All the while, Edward's evil stepmother Narissa (Susan Sarandon) is trying to trick the princess into an eternal slumber. Amid the modernized adventure ripped straight out of a storybook, Benson works as Sam, the secretary at Churchill, Harline & Smith who is tasked by Robert with arranging a way for Giselle to return to her home.

Part of the reason Benson was involved in the project was the filmmaker behind it, but she was initially skeptical. "So, I got a call to fly from Georgia to New York to be in the live-action, of course, which I have never done," she said. "So I thought 'Really? Is this going to be good, because I don't know what I'm doing, you know, so that could be a disaster.' But Kevin Lima was the director of that, and he's one of my animators for The Little Mermaid." Also known for helming A Goofy Movie and co-directing Tarzan, Lima helped assuage Benson's fears. However, nothing could've prepared her for what was to come over an awkward, unexpected mix-up between Dempsey and a certain star from the 1978 drama series Dallas. She told the crowd at Fan Expo:

"And he's like 'No, no, it's going to be super fun! It's going to be really fun, and you're gonna be doing this with...' you know, I've already forgotten his name, Patrick Dempsey. And I'm like 'Oh, okay, cool,' so I'm thinking that I'm going to meet the star from Dallas. Patrick Duffy. So I don't know who Patrick Dempsey is, but I had in mind that I was working with Patrick Duffy, and I love Dallas. So, I'm in this beautiful building, glass, gorgeous building. And I'm on the main level where my little desk was for me as Sam, and I'm on set, learning what I'm supposed to do. And the door opens and down walks this gentleman, and I'm like '...God, that is not Patrick Duffy.' I think Patrick Duffy is like over six feet tall. So this gentleman walks up, he says 'Hi, I'm Patrick Dempsey,' I'm like, 'Oh. Nice to meet you!' And I mean, it wasn't like I was disappointed, but I was just like 'That is definitely not Patrick Duffy.'"

Benson Got the Full "McDreamy" Experience on 'Enchanted'

After the shock to her expectations for Enchanted, Benson got to work with her new co-star, who was definitely not from Dallas. Yet, she never truly grasped just how popular Grey's Anatomy and "McDreamy" were at the time. "So we kind of chatted and got to know each other and I didn't know who he was, and I didn't know he was part of this raging show... what is the show called?" she asked before Gates chimed in. She'd become aware of Dempsey's devoted following very quickly, however, when they began filming a scene within the building of Robert's law firm. She recalled all the fans watching the set closely, prompting an awkward explanation from Dempsey about what exactly was happening and who he was. She continued:

"So, we're in this glass-enclosed building in New York City, and it's just about, I don't know, 35 stories high. And I'm looking up and all of these people have pressed their faces against the glass, staring down like 30 stories. I'm like 'What is happening?' And so I approach him and ask 'What is going on? I mean, why are they part of our scene and why are they staring us?' He says 'Well, you know... I'm kind of called McDreamy.' I was like 'You're a what?' He says 'Well, I'm sort of on this show and, you know, they're sort of fans,' and I'm like 'Oh, that's cool! You know, that's really cool, but they're kind of in our scenes.' Anyway, that's how it went for me. Obviously, I didn't know what I was doing."

In the end, Benson found her time with Dempsey rewarding and extremely helpful to her for her first foray into live action. "And, yeah, I had a lot of fun, but he was lovely. He was so kind, so gracious, taught me what to do in a movie, and yeah, we had a lot of fun." Sadly, Sam wouldn't return for the 2022 sequel Disenchanted as Robert took his practice to Monroeville in his move with Giselle out of Manhattan. Benson has since made another live-action appearance though, showing up in 2023's The Little Mermaid remake in a cameo role as a street vendor who meets Halle Bailey's Ariel.

Enchanted is available to stream on Disney+.