Patrick Dempsey’s next starring role is in ad campaign that showcases his home state and its most famous brand of bottled water.

Dempsey, a Maine native, will be featured in a digital and TV campaign for Poland’s Spring’s new Origin line of spring water beginning Jan. 25, the company said in a news release Thursday.

Dempsey, 55, is best-known to TV audiences for playing Dr. Derek Shepherd – also known as McDreamy – on the ABC medical drama “Grey’s Anatomy” from 2005 to 2015. His character was killed off but returned to the show this past fall in dream sequences, which producers say will be seen this year as well.

In his home state, Dempsey is known for raising millions of dollars to help people deal with cancer, especially through the annual Dempsey Challenge fundraising bike ride in Maine each fall. The money helps fund the Dempsey Center in Lewiston and South Portland, which Dempsey started in 2008 to help cancer patients and their families. His mother’s battle with cancer was the inspiration for the center.

Dempsey spends a lot of time in Maine, and has been seen regularly around Kennebunkport in recent years, where he is thought to have a home. He grew up in the small towns of Turner and Buckfield, near Lewiston.

Dempsey appears in one commercial, which runs in lengths of 15 and 30 seconds, according to Poland Spring. In the commercial, on YouTube now, Dempsey can be seen walking in the woods and along streams and waterfalls talking about Maine and calling it the place “that made me who I am.” He’s also seen drinking the water, which the company says is sustainably sourced from White Cedar Spring near Rangeley and sold in bottles made from 100 percent recycled plastic.

The ad was filmed at several scenic Maine locations, including Mount Kineo and Lily Bay State Park on Moosehead Lake, Grand Falls on the Dead River in West Forks and near White Cedar Spring in Dallas Plantation, east of Rangeley.

In the release, Dempsey was quoted as saying that while living outside of Maine he “missed my favorite water.” He also said in the statement that he values Poland Spring’s commitment to sustainability and water conservation.

“I learned about recycling as a kid, when my father ran a redemption center in Maine. This campaign connects with me on a very personal level, and I hope it will with everyone else as well,” Dempsey said in the news release.

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