Eric Dane, known for his iconic role as Dr. Mark Sloan (aka McSteamy) on Grey’s Anatomy, is breaking his silence about being written off the hit ABC series after six seasons.
Introduced at the end of season two as a guest star, Dane quickly became a fan favorite and secured a regular spot in season three due to the positive reception. His character, Dr. Sloan, became integral to the show but met a tragic end following a plane crash in the season eight finale. Sloan succumbed to his injuries at the beginning of season nine, marking Dane’s exit from the series.
However, Dane made a brief return in season 17 during a poignant scene where Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) was in a COVID-induced coma and dreamt of an imaginary beach. The beloved character reunited with Sloan, Lexie Grey (Chyler Leigh), Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey), George O’Malley (T.R. Knight), and Andrew DeLuca (Giacomo Gianniotti).
During a recent appearance on Dax Shepard’s Armchair Podcast, Dane candidly revealed the circumstances surrounding his departure from Grey’s Anatomy.
“I think I was let go,” Dane confessed. He explained that he was battling addiction at the time, though that wasn’t the direct reason for his departure. “They didn’t let me go because of that, although it definitely didn’t help. I was becoming very expensive for the network, and they knew the show would continue to succeed with or without me. As long as they had their Grey, they were fine.”
The actor admitted that he wasn’t the same person the network had initially hired. “I understood when I was let go. Shonda [Rhimes] was really great. She protected us fiercely both publicly and privately. But I was probably fired. It wasn’t ceremoniously like, ‘You’re fired,’ it was more like, ‘You’re not coming back.’”
During his tenure on Grey’s Anatomy, Dane checked into rehab for painkiller addiction and battled depression. He shared that when he first joined the show, he had been sober for three to four years and could distinguish between reality and the pressures of fame. However, he admitted that he struggled to handle the sudden popularity and relapsed.
“If you take the whole eight years on Grey’s Anatomy, I was messed up longer than I was sober. The sudden popularity may have played a part in why I relapsed. 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.”
Currently, Dane stars as Cal Jacobs on the HBO series Euphoria, portraying the complex father of Nate Jacobs (Jacob Elordi) and one of the show’s few adult characters.
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