Eric Dane Dishes On Why ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Fired Him
Actor Eric Dane played Dr. Mark “McSteamy” Sloan on Grey’s Anatomy from Seasons 2-9. As fans remember, his character narrowly survived the infamous plane crash at the end of Season 8. In the Season 9 premiere, fans learned he went into a coma and passed away.
Dane went on to star in many other successful shows, including Euphoria and The Last Ship. But apparently, it wasn’t exactly his choice to exit Grey’s.
Years after his departure from the medical drama, Eric Dane has spoken up about why the series fired him.
Eric Dane Admits Grey’s Anatomy Fired Him Due To His Personal Issues
Mark “McSteamy” Sloan was a fan favorite on the long-running medical drama. Viewers felt heartbroken when he ultimately succumbed to his injuries. But at the very least, the character was reunited in death with his true love, Dr. Lexie Grey.
But the dramatic exit wasn’t really up to Eric Dane.
“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,” shared on the Armchair Expert podcast. Like so many other actors, Dane admitted he struggled with addiction.
“I wasn’t the same guy they had hired, so I had understood when I was let go and Shonda [Rhimes] was really great,” the actor continued. “She protected us fiercely. She protected us publicly, she protected us privately…I love Shonda Rhimes and she protected me but I was probably fired. It wasn’t ceremoniously like ‘You’re fired’ it was just like ‘You’re not coming back.'”
Even though addiction seemed to play a role in his termination, Dane said he sobered up while on Grey’s. By the time Shonda Rhimes let him go, he’d been sober for a few years.
“I had my wits about me but I sort of knew what reality was and what reality wasn’t and I was able to differentiate between the two. 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 shared. “… If you take the whole eight years I was on Grey’s Anatomy, I was f***** up longer than I was sober and that was when things started going sideways for me.”
The Actor Sadly Struggled With Relapses
In the interview, Eric Dane also confessed he struggled with sobriety over the years. During the 2007-2008 writer’s strike, the actor said he had too much time on his hands since he wasn’t filming.
Were you surprised to hear that Grey’s Anatomy opted to fire Eric Dane? Do you miss his character? Share your thoughts and opinions in the comments.
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