Former “Grey’s Anatomy” actor explains series exit

Eric Dane speaks openly about his departure from Grey’s Anatomy after six seasons as Dr. Mark Sloan, known as McSteamy. Dane joined the hit ABC series as a guest star at the end of the second season and became a regular in the third season due to the positive response from the audience.

According to The Hollywood Reporter during a recent appearance at Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert Podcast, Dane announced that his departure from Grey’s Anatomy wasn’t quite his choice. He admitted that he was battling an addiction at the time, which didn’t directly lead to his exit, but certainly didn’t help. The more time he spent on the show, the more expensive he became for the network. He noted that the network knew that the show’s success didn’t depend on a single actor as long as the main character remained Grey.

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Dane continued, saying he was no longer the same person the network had originally hired, which he understood. Shonda Rhimes, the show’s creator, was very supportive of the program both publicly and privately, but ultimately he was let go without much fanfare. “I was no longer the same guy they hired.” So I understood it when I was released. And Shonda was really great. She protected us fiercely. She protected us publicly. She protected us privately. … But I was probably fired. It wasn’t so ceremonial that you would say, “You’re fired,” but just, “You’re not coming back.””

In subsequent seasons, Sloan became a popular character. However, after a plane crash in the season 8 finale, it was revealed that he would succumb to his injuries, leading to his death at the beginning of season 9. In a surprise twist, Dane briefly reprised his role in season 17 when Meredith, played by Ellen Pompeo, fell into a COVID-induced coma and was visited on an imaginary beach by Sloan, Lexie Grey (Chyler Leigh), Patrick Dempsey’s Derek Shepherd, George O’Malley (TR Knight) and Andrew DeLuca (Giacomo Gianniotti).

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Eric Dane’s fight against addiction

At the height of his fame at Grey’s AnatomyDane went to rehab for a painkiller addiction and has struggled with depression ever since. He said he had been sober for several years when he joined the show, which allowed him to distinguish between reality and fiction. However, he admitted that he did not cope well with the resulting fame. During his eight years on Grey’s AnatomyHe spent more time battling his addiction than being sober, which caused his life to take a turn. He suspected that the sudden rise of fame played a role in his relapse. He tried to act comfortable with the newfound popularity, even though he wasn’t really prepared for it.

Dane Cal Jacobs is currently playing in euphoriathe father of Nate Jacobs, played by Jacob Elordi, and one of the few adult characters in the series. He also recently played in Bad Boy: Ride or Die as McGrath, alongside Will Smith’s Mike Lowrey and Martin Lawrence’s Marcus Burnett.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

Grey’s Anatomy

A drama about the private and professional lives of five surgical interns and their superiors.

Release date

March 27, 2005

Pour

Ellen Pompeo, Chandra Wilson, James Pickens Jr., Justin Chambers, Kevin McKidd, Jesse Williams, Patrick Dempsey

Seasons

20 seasons

Creator

Shonda Rhimes

Production company

Shondaland, The Mark Gordon Company, ABC Studios, ABC Signature, Entertainment One

Number of episodes

420 episodes

Streaming service(s)

Hulu, Netflix, SlingTV, FuboTV

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