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Eric DaneThe departure from “Grey’s Anatomy” came at a difficult time in his personal life, but he stated that the battle with addiction was not the main reason that Mark Sloan was written out of the show. In his posthumous memoir, “My Book of Days: A Memoir in Moments,” Dane said the decision ultimately came down to money.
The actor admitted that his behind-the-scenes struggles didn’t help his situation. However, he believed that the ever-increasing salary made it too expensive to keep, even though McSteamy remained one of the medical drama’s most popular characters.
Eric Dane said it had been ‘too expensive’
Dane spoke about his exit as he reflected on the addiction battle he continued on the “Grey’s Anatomy” set. In an excerpt published by PEOPLE, the actor revealed that creator Shonda Rhimes told him near the end of season 8 that his time on the series was coming to an end. “My Grey’s Anatomy is coming to an end, but not because of my addiction, although it’s safe to say my addiction didn’t help,” Dane wrote. “The reason comes down to money.”
According to the actor, Mark Sloan’s popularity wasn’t enough to secure his spot on the long-running ABC drama. “Despite the popularity of Mark Sloan, I have become too expensive,” he said. “I’ve become expensive.”
McSteamy turned Eric Dane into a television star
Dane booked “Grey’s Anatomy” in 2005 after years of struggling to find steady work. Before entering the series, he had reached a stage where he seriously considered walking away from acting. His introduction as plastic surgeon Mark Sloan changed everything.
The character arrived with an immediate connection to the show’s main relationships. Mark was Derek Shepherd’s former best friend and husband Addison Montgomery had an affair with when she married Derek.
His charm, confidence and good looks soon earned him the nickname McSteamy. What started as a memorable guest turned into a starring role, turning Dane into one of the show’s most recognizable stars.
“During rare downtime and moments of reflection, I pinch myself,” he wrote. “In the blink of an eye, I’ve gone from unhappy with a dwindling savings account, drowning in bags of Doritos, with one foot out the door of show business, to a reality television star.”
This role gave Dane the career breakthrough he spent years chasing. It also placed him in one of the most successful television ensembles.
His addiction battle made his time on the show
Although Dane rejected addiction as the main reason for his coming out, he was honest about how it influenced his work. Around 2008, the actor ruptured a cervical disc in his neck while exercising and relapsed into a painful addiction. Dane remembered losing weight, looking very sick, and withdrawing from the people around him. “I go quietly, I don’t look at anything,” he wrote. “I’m suffering. I’m suffering without talking about it to anyone.”
The change did not go unnoticed by his colleagues. Dane said other team members seemed concerned rather than angry or judgmental. He saw them as more than colleagues, describing the people around him as family.
Rhimes has repeatedly come to him and supported him. According to Dane, she told him she would “take care” of him if he needed time away. He went into rehab during the break and revealed that he would go five times over his run on the streak.
The actor felt ready to leave Mark Sloan behind
By the time he left, Dane had already begun to feel that he was emotionally done with the character. “I like Mark Sloan, but I have to retire,” he admitted. “I feel like I’ve squeezed every ounce of life out of that character, explored and mined every nuance of it.”
After spending eight years living inside Mark’s world, Dane believed he had exhausted what he could bring to the role. The problem was that he didn’t know how to step away from a show that had completely changed his career. “I’ve had enough,” he wrote. “But I don’t know how to get off that train.”
The decision was finally made for him. Mark’s story ended after he suffered horrific injuries in the plane crash involving several members of the Seattle Grace team. His death became one of the show’s most emotional episodes, especially since it followed the loss of Lexie Grey, with whom Mark had shared a complicated love story.
Eric Dane Built a New Career After McSteamy
After “Grey’s Anatomy,” Dane moved on to a starring role in TNT’s “The Last Ship.” He later reached a new generation of viewers as Cal Jacobs on HBO’s “Euphoria.”
However, Mark Sloan remained the closest character to him. His memoir makes it clear that leaving McSteamy behind involved far more than viewers saw in the dramatic stories on screen.
“My Book of Days: A Memoir in Moments” is set to be released on November 3.
