A former Grey’s Anatomy star has reflected on being “let go” from the show, revealing they were “probably fired”.
Euphoria actor Eric Dane appeared in the long-running medical series as Dr Mark Sloan, who was known by fans as McSteamy – the best friend and love rival of Patrick Dempsey’s Derek “McDreamy” Shepherd.
The actor first appeared in the show in season two and, following a decision made by producers, his character was written off in season nine, after six years.
Dane has now reflected on his departure, telling Armchair Expert: “I didn’t leave so much as I was let go.”
He explained that, while he had been sober for four years before joining the show, he was “f***ed up longer than I was sober” during his time as a cast member.
However, while he acknowledged that producers “didn’t let me go because of that,” he said “it definitely didn’t help”.
“I was starting to become, as most of these actors who have spent significant time on a show, you start to become very expensive for the network.
“And the network knows that the show is going to do what it’s going to do irrespective of who they keep on it. As long as they have their Grey [Ellen Pompeo], they’re fine.
He continued: “I wasn’t the same guy they had hired. So I had understood when I was let go. And Shonda [Rhimes] was really great. She protected us fiercely. She protected us publicly. She protected us privately.”
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Reflecting on the situation more than a decade later, though, Dane said he “was probably fired”.
“It wasn’t ceremoniously like, ‘You’re fired,’ it was just like, ‘You’re not coming back.’”
Ahead of leaving Grey’s Anatomy, Dane entered a treatment centre after developing an addiction to prescription drugs after a sports injury.
Grey’s Anatomy , which is onto its 21st season, has seen several changes to its lineup in its two decades on screen.
Notably, Pompeo, who plays the series’ central character Meredith Grey, walked away from her full-time position on the show in 2023.
Meredith departed in the season 19 episode, “I’ll Follow the Sun”, in which she moved from the show’s base city, Seattle, across the country to Boston for a new job.
Pompeo still provides voiceovers for the show and has returned for the occasional episode.
