‘Grey’s Anatomy’ star Eric Dane doesn’t ‘blame’ hit show for firing him during addiction
“Grey’s Anatomy” alum Eric Dane opened up about how he overcomes difficult times without leaning on drugs and alcohol after embracing sobriety.
During an interview with Fox News Digital, the 58-year-old actor who is starring in the new movie, “One Fast Move,” reflected on his approach to getting through hardships after battling addiction.
“Sometimes you just hang on and understand that this too shall pass,” Dane said. “I never expected life — no matter what your circumstances are — to be easy all the time.”
Eric Dane reflected on how he overcomes the “down times” without using substances and alcohol after becoming sober. (Getty Images)
He continued, “So I think understanding that not everything is going to be a walk in the park has certainly prepared me to put myself in the best position to weather some of the down times.”
“They come fast and furious, and a lot of the times all you can do is just hang on and know that it’s going to pass,” Dane added. “And I no longer use substances and alcohol and things of that nature to deal with any of that stuff, good or bad.”
“It’s not celebratory, and it’s not something I pick up when … things aren’t great. And the only way out is through.”
WATCH: ‘GREY’S ANATOMY’ ALUM ERIC DANE ON HOW HE OVERCOMES ‘DOWN TIMES’ AFTER BECOMING SOBER
In a June appearance on Dax Shepard’s “Armchair Expert” podcast, Dane explained the real reason behind his departure from “Grey’s Anatomy.” The actor played beloved plastic surgeon Dr. Mark “McSteamy” Sloan on the hit ABC series.
While speaking with Shepard, Dane said that when he booked the series fronted by Patrick Dempsey and Ellen Pompeo, he’d been “sober for three or four years.”
“So I had my wits about me and I sort of knew what reality was and what reality wasn’t,” he shared “And I was able to differentiate between the two. And I was able to sort of conceptualize what that was, keep it in its place, enjoy it, dip in every now and again and come back.”
Dane was first introduced on “Grey’s Anatomy” as Dr. Mark Sloan in season 2. He became a series regular in season 3. (Bob DAmico/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)
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Dane joined the show as a series regular in season three after his character generated buzz in a sizzling towel scene in the second season.
“I think the net-net is I didn’t really handle it very well,” he said. “Because if you take the whole eight years on ‘Grey’s Anatomy,’ I was f—ed up longer than I was sober. And that’s when things started going sideways for me.”
Dane told Shepard he relapsed at some point during his stint on the show while trying to manage the expectations of playing such a revered and pined-for character on television.
“It was overwhelming, and I think I just wanted to pretend that it wasn’t and that I was comfortable with it. Act like you’ve been there, but you haven’t been there,” he said. “It’s very hard to sort of digest,” he said of the fame.
His character was killed off in the second episode of season nine, which aired in October 2012. In 2013, Dane told Entertainment Weekly that his departure was giving him a chance to explore other avenues.
However, Dane revealed to Shepard that he’d actually been “let go” from the show.
The actor created a buzz when he appeared wearing nothing but a towel. (Vivian Zink/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)
“I didn’t leave so much as I think I was let go. I was struggling. They didn’t let me go because of that, although it definitely didn’t help,” said Dane, who checked into rehab in 2011 for a painkiller addiction.
“I was starting to become, as most of these actors who have spent significant time on a show, you start to become very expensive for the network. And the network knows that the show is going to do what it’s going to do, irrespective of who they keep on it. As long as they have their ‘Grey,’ they’re fine.”
“I wasn’t the same guy they had hired, so I had understood when I was let go. And [creator] Shonda [Rhimes] was really great. She protected us fiercely. She protected us publicly, she protected us privately.”
During his interview with Fox News Digital, Dane elaborated on why he said that he “wasn’t the same guy” that Rhimes and the show’s producers hired.
WATCH: ‘GREY’S ANATOMY’ ALUM ERIC DANE DIDN’T BLAME SHOW FOR DROPPING HIM WHILE HE STRUGGLED WITH ADDICTION
“I was struggling with some personal things, and they affected me outwardly,” the “X-Men: The Last Stand” actor admitted.
“And they affected how I was doing my job,” he continued. “And so, that’s what I meant by [saying] I wasn’t the same guy that they had hired.”
‘GREY’S ANATOMY’ STAR ERIC DANE ENTERS REHAB FOR PAINKILLER ADDICTION
“I didn’t necessarily blame them for letting me go,” Dane added. “I understood. I was like, ‘OK, I understand that. That makes sense to me. No hard feelings. Thank you for the nine, eight, nine beautiful years I spent with you guys. And thanks for, at times, tolerating some of my nonsense. And thanks for appreciating the contributions I made to that show.’”
“I have nothing but love for all of those people. I was just with [former ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ co-star] Justin Chambers yesterday.”
Dane was struggling with his sobriety while filming the show. (Gale Adler/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)
In 2021, Dane reprised his role for the first time in nine years when he appeared in a dream sequence in one episode of the show’s 17th season.
During a recent interview with People magazine, Dane admitted that while he has only watched a “few episodes” of “Grey’s Anatomy” since his departure, his daughters “have seen every episode.” The actor shares daughters Beatrice, 14, and Georgia, 12, with ex-wife Rebecca Gayheart.
While speaking with Fox News Digital, Dane revealed how Beatrice and Georgia reacted to his “McSteamy” nickname.
“They’re old enough now to understand what the references is, and they’re also old enough now to think that’s kind of cheesy or campy,” he said.
“They’re like,’ Wow, Dad,” Dane recalled. “‘Couldn’t have come up with anything better?’ I’m like, ‘Honey, that’s it. It works, babe.’ At the time, it worked and worked for a very long time.”
Dane is now starring in the new action film “One Fast Move” alongside KJ Apa, Maia Reficco, Edward James Olmos and Austin North. Directed and written by Kelly Blatz, the movie follows “a young man (Apa) [who] seeks out his estranged father (Dane) to pursue his dream of becoming a professional motorcycle racer,” according to a plot synopsis.
Danen and KJ Apa are starring in the new action movie “One Fast Move.” (Amazon Prime Video)
“With help from his love interest and a motorcycle shop owner, he begins to break down the walls his father’s absence had created.”
During his interview with Fox News Digital, Dane explained how he trained to portray a professional motorcycle racer in “One Fast Move.”
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“I knew how to ride a bike before shooting this,” he said. “I’ve never ridden on a track, which was fun. But I was surprised to find out that K.J. had never ridden a motorcycle before shooting this picture.”
“And he was actually pretty, pretty adept on that thing. He was pretty good on the motorcycle.”
Though he had some prior experience with motorcycle riding, Dane told Fox News Digital that he didn’t give his co-star any tips.
“I’m not good enough to give anybody advice,” he said. “Be careful. Take it easy. Go slow, young buck.”
WATCH: ERIC DANE ON HIS NEW ACTION MOVIE ‘ONE FAST MOVE’: ‘IT’S KIND OF A BEAUTIFUL STORY’
The California native also weighed in on the message that he hopes audiences take away from the movie.
“It’s interesting,” Dane said. “It’s not your stereotypical feel-good film, but I think by the end of the film, you kind of walk away with the sense that there was some real healing done between two somewhat lost and…sort of misguided, misdirected people, who were also largely misunderstood.”
“They find each other, and they go through what they go through so that they can heal their circumstances, and they have only realized that at the end, they’re really like – they’re free,” he continued.
The actor plays the estranged father of Apa’s character, who dreams of being a professional motorcycle racer. (Amazon Prime Video)
“They find each other, and they heal each other, and then they realize they don’t need each other. You know what I’m saying?” Dane added.
“It’s kind of a beautiful story.”
“One Fast Move” debuted in theaters on Aug. 8.
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Fox News Digital’s Caroline Thayer contributed to this report.
