LAST HURRAH

How Eric Dane Used ‘Slurred’ Speech to Enhance Final TV Role

Eric Dane returned to play Cal Jacobs one last time before his death in February.

The late actor Eric Dane, best known for his role as Grey’s Anatomy’s Dr. Mark “McSteamy” Sloan, did not let his ALS diagnosis stop him from finishing his story arc on HBO’s acclaimed series Euphoria.

Show creator Sam Levinson revealed what it was like to work with Dane, who had begun experiencing some of the more severe symptoms of the disease ahead of filming the show’s Season 3. Levinson told Variety he had said to Dane, “There’s no pressure” to return to the show. The actor had insisted, “I want to do this,” but was worried about “how fast he was deteriorating.”

Dane died on Feb. 19 at the age of 53, just 10 months after revealing his diagnosis to the public.

“When he showed up, I noticed that his speech was a little slurred,” Levinson continued. “He was a bit self-conscious, and I said, ‘This works perfectly. We’re gonna put five beer bottles in front of you, and you’re about to say all of the s--t you would never say if you were sober.’ And we just had a blast shooting.”

Dane plays Cal Jacobs, father to Jacob Elordi’s Nate Jacobs on the show—the wealthy suburban dad living a double life whose repressed sexuality’s dark expressions affect the series’ other characters, including his son.

Dane was determined to carry the arc into the show’s long-awaited third season, and Levinson said he wrote around the actor’s capabilities to tell the story.

“I just said, ‘Look, Eric, I love you, and I promise, however you show up, we’re going to make it work, we’re going to find a way.’ We just tried to create the most comfortable environment and he’s magnificent in this season,’” the show creator told The Hollywood Reporter.

Play Video

Even for less intimate scenes with more actors on set, Dane continued to show up as his best self, Levinson recalled. “We had 28 cast members on Saturday at that wedding” between Sydney Sweeney and Elordi’s characters. “There’s all these people around, and he just showed up with such grace and dignity,” Levinson said. “He’s a consummate professional all the way through, and I miss him.”

Play Video

In the four years between Seasons 2 and 3, the series also lost cast member Angus Cloud, who died at the age of 25 in 2023 from an accidental overdose. Levinson told THR that he decided to keep Cloud’s character, Fezco, alive in the third season. “I couldn’t keep him alive in real life, but I could keep his character alive in the show,” he said. “The character has got a great arc. I think he’d be very proud of it.”

Cloud’s absence is explained by a prison sentence stemming from the events of Season 2.

As for whether the show will continue beyond this current season, Levinson echoed series star Zendaya, who said on The Drew Barrymore Show last week that this season may be the end of the road for the characters.

“I go into every season like it’s the last season, I really do,” Levinson said when asked for his thoughts. “I write it like it’s the last, when I put down my pencil at the end of the day or when I lock that final sound mix, I go, is this something I’m proud of? If this was it, am I happy? And I leave the rest on God’s desk.”

One day after his death, Dane shared his last words to the two daughters he shares with wife Rebecca Gayheart: Billie, 15, and Georgia, 14, on Netflix’s Famous Last Words. The actor told his children, “These words are for you,” he says in the special, “I tried. I stumbled sometimes, but I tried. Overall, we had a blast, didn’t we?”

Season 3 of Euphoria premieres Sunday, Apr. 12 on HBO.

Obsessed with pop culture and entertainment? Follow us on Substack and YouTube for even more coverage.

Eboni Boykin-PattersonEntertainment Reporter

Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here.