A Grey’s Anatomy star has revealed why he 'was probably fired' from the hit series.
Eric Dane claimed he believes bosses let him go from the show, rather than wanting to leave himself.
Despite the show’s network ABC not revealing the reason he left, Dane stated that he understood why producers let him go, as he ‘wasn’t the same guy they had hired’.
During an appearance on the Armchair Expert podcast, he opened up about his exit from Grey’s Anatomy, after playing Dr. Mark Sloan - AKA Dr. McSteamy - for six seasons from 2006 to 2012.
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In the episode, he admitted: “I didn’t leave so much as I think I was let go.”
Dax Shepard, host of the podcast, asked how Dane's struggles with drugs and alcohol towards the end of his time on the show might have impacted their decision.
He responded: “I was struggling.
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“They didn’t let me go because of that, although it definitely didn’t help.”
The 51-year-old Euphoria star speculated that he might have actually become too 'expensive' for the show.
He added: “I was starting to become - as most of these actors who have spent significant time on the 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 they were fine.”
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Despite feeling as though he was laid off, he praised the show’s creator, Shonda Rhimes, for how she allegedly dealt with the awkward situation.
Dane said: “She protected us fiercely.
“She protected us publicly, she protected us privately… I love Shonda Rhimes and she protected me but I was probably fired.
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“It wasn’t ceremoniously like, ‘You’re fired,’ it was just like, ‘You’re not coming back’.”
He described the moment that things started to go ‘sideways’ for him, after eight long years working on the show.
The actor continued: "If you take the whole eight years I was on Grey’s Anatomy, I was f****ed up longer than I was sober and that was when things started going sideways for me."
Dane’s character exited the show in the form of a plane crash during the season eight finale.
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While he actually survived in that episode, his character eventually passed away at the start of season nine.
UNILAD has contacted ABC for comment.
If you've been affected by addiction and want to speak to someone in confidence, you can call American Addiction Centers on (888) 324-0595, available 24/7, or contact them through their website.
Topics: Film and TV, Celebrity
Mia Williams