More than a decade after leaving Grey’s Anatomy, actor Eric Dane has finally spoken candidly about his belief that he was “fired” from the hit ABC medical series and why he fully understands that decision.
In a conversation on Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert podcast, Eric Dane – who played Dr. Mark Sloan (or “McSteamy” as fans call him) – said he didn’t actively leave the show.
“I didn’t exactly leave on my own. I think I was fired,” Dane said.
The actor admitted that his time on Grey’s Anatomy coincided with his struggles with alcohol and substance abuse. According to Dane, this made things progressively worse.
“Looking back at my eight years on Grey’s Anatomy, I was more addicted than sober. That’s when things started to go wrong,” he shared.
However, Eric Dane doesn’t believe his addiction problems were the direct cause of his departure from the series. He believes financial factors were a more significant reason.
“Of course, my problems didn’t help. But when you’re involved with a hit show for so long, actors become very expensive for the network. And they know the show will continue to be successful as long as Meredith Grey is there,” Dane explained.
The actor also stated that he wasn’t the best version of himself in the final stages of his involvement with the series.
“I wasn’t the person they hired. So, when I was laid off, I understood that.”
Dane added that creator Shonda Rhimes has always treated the cast very well. He had many words of appreciation for her for protecting the crew both in public and behind the scenes.
“Shonda protected us a lot. I think I probably got fired, but not in the way of being called in and hearing, ‘You’re fired.’ They just said, ‘You’re not coming back.’”
Eric Dane joined Grey’s Anatomy in season 2 and quickly became one of the most beloved faces of the series. The character Mark Sloan later died at the beginning of season 9 due to injuries from the plane crash at the end of season 8, ending the journey of one of the iconic doctors of Seattle Grace Hospital. However, Dane still had a special return in season 17, bringing an emotional moment to fans.
Eric Dane’s sharing shows that he looks back on a difficult period in his career with frankness and acceptance. Instead of blaming anyone, the actor said that many factors – from his battle with addiction to the reality of production costs of a long-running television series – led to the decision that forced him to say goodbye to the role that made his name.