“Grey’s Anatomy” alum Eric Dane opened up about how he got through difficult times without turning to drugs or alcohol since deciding to get sober.
The 58-year-old actor, who stars in the new film “One Fast Move,” reflected on how he overcame difficulties after battling drug addiction in an interview with Fox News Digital.
“Sometimes you just have to bear it and understand that this too shall pass,” Dane said. “No matter what the situation, I never expected life to always be easy.”
‘Grey’s Anatomy’ star Eric Dane reveals surprising reason for ‘quitting’ hit show amid struggle with drug addiction
Eric Dane has reflected on how he got through his “low times” without using drugs or alcohol after getting sober. (Getty Images)
He continued, “So I think understanding that it’s not going to be all rosy has put me in the best position to get through the down times.”
“The symptoms come on suddenly and violently, and most of the time you just have to endure it and trust that it will pass,” Dane added, “and I no longer use drugs, alcohol or anything else to cope with them, for better or worse.”
“It’s not something to celebrate, it’s not something to grab when things go wrong, and the only solution is to get on with it.”
WATCH: Former ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ star Eric Dane explains how he overcame his post-alcohol ‘low’
Appearing on Dax Shepard’s “Armchair Expert” podcast in June, Dane explained the real reason he left “Grey’s Anatomy.” The actor played beloved plastic surgeon Dr. Mark “McSteamy” Sloan on the hit ABC series.
While talking to Shepard, Dane Patrick Dempsey and Ellen PompeoHe said he had been sober for three or four years.
“So I was sober and I knew what was real and what wasn’t,” he said, “and I was able to distinguish between the two. And I was able to conceptualize it for what it was, and keep it in its place, and enjoy it, and dip in and come back every now and then.”
Dane first appeared on “Grey’s Anatomy” as Dr. Mark Sloan in season two and became a series regular in season three. (Bob D’Amico/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 made headlines with a hot towel scene in season two.
“I guess at the end of the day I just didn’t cope that well,” he said. “When I look back at my eight years on Grey’s Anatomy, I was drunk longer than I was sober, and that’s when things started to go wrong.”
Dane told Shepherd that he relapsed at one point during his time on the show while trying to navigate the expectations of playing such a revered and coveted character on television.
“It was an overwhelming experience, but I think I wanted to pretend it wasn’t and pretend I was happy about it. I act like I had it, but I hadn’t,” he said. “Fame is very hard to accept,” he said.
His character was killed off in the second episode of season 9, which aired in October 2012. In 2013, Dane Entertainment Weekly His resignation gives him the opportunity to explore other avenues.
However, Dane revealed to Shepherd that he had, in fact, been “fired” from the show.
The actor appeared wearing only a towel and caused a stir. (Vivian Zink/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)
“I don’t think I left, I felt fired. I was struggling. They didn’t fire me for that, but it definitely didn’t help,” said Dane, who entered rehab in 2011 for painkiller addiction.
“I, like most of the actors who spent a significant amount of time on the show, was starting to become very expensive for the network, and the network knows that they’re going to do whatever the show does regardless of who they keep on the show. As long as they have ‘Grey’, they’re fine.”
“I was not employed, so I understood when I was fired. And [creator] Shonda [Rhimes] It was amazing. She was fiercely protective of us, in public and in private.”
In an interview with Fox News Digital, Dane detailed why he said he was “not the person” Rhimes and the show’s producers hired.
WATCH: Former “Grey’s Anatomy” cast member Eric Dane doesn’t blame his coworkers for leaving the show despite his struggles with addiction
“I was struggling with some personal issues that were affecting my appearance,” the X-Men: The Last Stand actor admitted.
“And they influenced the way I work,” he continued. “So that’s why I [saying] I was not the person they hired.”
‘Grey’s Anatomy’ star Eric Dane enters rehab for painkiller addiction
“I didn’t necessarily blame myself for leaving,” Dane added. “I understood. I was like, ‘Okay, I get it. I get it. I hold no grudges. I’m thankful for the nine, eight, nine wonderful years I had with you all. And thank you for putting up with my nonsense at times. And thank you for appreciating what I contributed to that show.'”
“I feel nothing but love for all of them. I just [former ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ co-star] Justin Chambers yesterday.
Dain struggled with alcohol consumption while filming the show. (Gail Adler/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)
In 2021, Dane appeared in a dream sequence in one episode of the show’s 17th season, reprising his role for the first time in nine years.
In a recent interview with People magazine, Dane admitted that he’s only watched “a few episodes” of “Grey’s Anatomy” since leaving the show, but that his daughters “have seen every episode.” Dane has two daughters, Beatrice, 14, and Georgia, 12, with ex-wife Rebecca Gayheart.
In an interview with Fox News Digital, Dane revealed how Beatrice and Georgia reacted to his nickname “McStimmy.”
“Kids are old enough now to understand what it means and they’re old enough to think it’s a bit cheesy or pretentious,” he said.
“They were like, ‘That’s great, Dad,'” Dane recalls. “‘Wasn’t there a better way?’ And I was like, ‘Hey, this is great. This will work, baby.’ It worked at the time, and it worked for a really long time.”
Dane is currently starring in the upcoming action movie “One Fast Move” alongside KJ Apa, Maia Leficco, Edward James Olmos, and Austin North. Written and directed by Kelly Blatz, the film is about a “young man (Apa) [who] According to the synopsis, the protagonist is a young boy who must track down his estranged father (Dane) and pursue his dream of becoming a professional motorcycle racer.
Dannen and KJ Apa will star in the upcoming action movie “One Fast Move.” (Amazon Prime Video)
“With the help of his girlfriend and a bike shop owner, he begins to break down the walls created by his absent father.”
During an interview with Fox News Digital, Dane talked about how he trained to play a professional motorcycle racer in “One Fast Move.”
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“I knew how to ride a motorcycle before I took this photo,” he says, “and I’d never ridden one on a track, but it was fun. But I was surprised to learn that KJ had never ridden a motorcycle before taking this photo.”
“And he was actually pretty adept at that. He was pretty good at driving a motorcycle.”
Dain told Fox News Digital that although he has experience driving a motorcycle, he didn’t offer any advice to his co-star.
“I’m not strong enough to give anybody advice,” he said. “Take care. Go slowly, young man.”
WATCH: Eric Dane talks about new action movie ‘One Fast Move’: ‘It’s such a beautiful story’
The California native also spoke about the message he hopes audiences take away from the film.
“It’s interesting,” Dane says, “it’s not your typical heartwarming movie, but I think at the end of the movie you’re left with a sense that there’s been real healing between two people who were a little lost and kind of misguided and also very misunderstood.”
“They went through so much to find each other, to heal from their circumstances, and in the end, they realized they were truly free,” he continued.
The actor will play the estranged father of Apa’s character, who dreams of becoming a professional motorcycle racer. (Amazon Prime Video)
“They find each other, they heal each other, and they realize they don’t need each other, you know what I mean?” Dane added.
“It’s such a beautiful story.”
“One Fast Move” hits theaters on August 8th.
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Fox News Digital’s Caroline Sayer contributed to this report.
