Eric Dane ‘understood’ why he was ‘fired’ from ‘Grey’s Anatomy’

More than a decade later, Eric Dane reflects on Dr. McSteamy’s behind-the-scenes downfall.

THE Grey’s Anatomy The alumnus said he “didn’t so much quit as I was let go” from the long-running Shondaland series, in which he played Dr. Mark Sloan while “struggling” with addiction.

Although he remained sober for about four years before joining the cast in 2006, Dane admitted on the Armchair expert podcast that he was “fucked up longer than I was sober” during his time on the ABC medical drama, in part due to the pressures of growing fame.

“They didn’t let me go for that reason, even though it didn’t help,” he said. “I was starting to become, like most actors who spent a lot of time on a series, very expensive for the network. And the network knows that the show is going to do what it’s going to do, no matter who it keeps. As long as they have their Grey, everything is fine. »

Dane continued: “I wasn’t the same guy they hired. So I understood when I was let go. And Shonda (Rhimes) was really great. She protected us fiercely. She protected us publicly. She protected us privately. … But I probably got fired. It wasn’t like, ‘You’re fired,’ it was just, ‘You’re not coming back.’”

Introduced in season 2, Sloan was killed off early in season 9 after succumbing to injuries sustained in a plane crash in the previous season finale. Dane reprised the role along with several deceased characters in a 2021 season 17 episode that saw Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) hallucinating her deceased loved ones on a beach while suffering from COVID-19.

Before leaving the show in 2012, Dane entered a treatment center for an addiction to prescription drugs, which he had developed following a sports injury.

As fans await its imminent return on HBO Euphoria For the delayed season 3, Dane was cast alongside Jensen Ackles and Jessica Camacho in the upcoming Amazon series Countdown.