There’s a McSteamy-esque answer to why Eric Dane made such a dramatic exit from hit show Grey’s Anatomy in 2012.
The actor, who plays beloved plastic surgeon Dr. Mark “McSteamy” Sloan, said he was “sober for three or four years” when he landed the role on the hit ABC show, hosted by Patrick Dempsey and Ellen Pompeo.
“So I was calm and I knew what was real and what wasn’t,” he said.Armchair Expert“It’s a podcast with actor Dax Shepard. And I was able to distinguish between the two. And conceptualize what it was and keep it in its place and have fun with it and dip back in every now and then.”
‘Grey’s Anatomy’ star Eric Dane enters rehab for painkiller addiction
Eric Dane first appeared in “Grey’s Anatomy” as Dr. Mark Sloan in season 2. He became a series regular in season 3. (Bob D’Amico/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)
“I guess at the end of the day, I just didn’t cope that well,” said the actor, now 51. “When I look back at my eight years on ‘Grey’s Anatomy,’ I was drunk more times than I was sober, and that’s when things started to go wrong.”
Dane joined the show as a series regular in season three after his character made headlines with a hot towel scene in season two.
Eric Dane debuted in season 2 wearing only a towel. (Vivian Zink/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)
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Dane said he relapsed at some 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.
Being named one of Hollywood’s hottest TV stars wasn’t what Dayne had hoped for. “It was weird for me because I never thought of myself like that. It really caused self-doubt,” he explained. “I felt like a fraud.”
Eric Dane struggled with alcohol while filming the show. (Gail Adler/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)
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“My appearance didn’t match my inner self,” he added.
His character was killed off in the second episode of season 9, which aired in October 2012. In 2013, Dane Entertainment Weekly He said his departure gave him the chance to explore other avenues: “Grey’s Anatomy is a world. It’s not about any one actor, and the storylines were kind of going in different directions. So it was an opportunity for me, and I was interested in doing something different.”
However, in a new podcast, Dane revealed to Shepherd that he had, in fact, been “fired” from the show.
Eric Dane says he was “fired” because of his salary. (Scott Garfield/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)
“I don’t think I quit, I think I was fired,” he explained. “I was struggling, so I wasn’t fired, but it certainly didn’t help me.” (Dane entered rehab in 2011 for painkiller addiction.) “I was starting to become very expensive for the network, as were most of the actors who put a significant amount of time into the show. And the network knows what the show is trying to do. It doesn’t matter who they put on the show. As long as they have ‘Grey’, they’re fine.”
“I was not hired, 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.”
Eric Dane, pictured with Shonda Rhimes, Taye Diggs and James Pickens, says the creators of Grey’s Anatomy “protected” him. (Dimitrios Kambouris/WireImage/Getty Images)
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“I love Shonda Rhimes and she protected me, but I guess I was fired,” he admitted. “It wasn’t a formality like, ‘You’re fired,’ it was just like, you’re not coming back.”
Rhymes previously said, Entertainment Weekly Dein said he had been “considering” leaving the show “for some time,” and at the time there were rumors circulating that he would not return due to budget cuts.
Dane returned to Grey’s Anatomy in a dream sequence in season 17. The show aired its season 20 finale in May and has already been renewed for season 21.
