Watch Eric Dane on ‘Brilliant Minds’ as patient with ALS in clip
Eric Dane, formerly Dr. Mark Sloan on “Grey’s Anatomy,” is making his “Brilliant Minds” debut as a patient with ALS.
Eric Dane, who played Dr. Mark Sloan, aka “McSteamy,” on “Grey’s Anatomy” for six seasons, is returning to TV on another medical drama. The actor, 53, makes his “Brilliant Minds” debut as “Bronx-Gen’s favorite silver fox.” You can think neurologist Dr. Oliver Wolf (show lead Zachary Quinto) for the new moniker.
After revealing in April that he’d been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Dane will play a firefighter who also has the disease on the Nov. 24 episode of NBC’s series (10 ET/PT), now in its second season. ALS “causes progressive degeneration of nerve cells in the spinal cord and brain,” according to Johns Hopkins. There currently is no cure.
When Dane’s team inquired about appearing on the show, “Brilliant Minds” creator Michael Grassi says he leapt at the opportunity. At the time, Grassi was dealing with “a health emergency” in his own family, and he and Dane quickly started circling “this idea of ‘How does a family navigate a difficult diagnosis?’” he tells USA TODAY. “And there’s no rule book. There’s no right way or wrong way to do it. And in our conversations, something that he was dealing with very much in real time, and I was dealing with in my life, and a lot of people deal with every day is, how do you navigate, how do you communicate and how do you accept help?”
In the episode, which filmed in October, Dane plays Matthew, a proud firefighter who’s used to being the hero, not the person in need of help. Matthew hasn’t been able to share his ALS diagnosis with his ex-wife or daughter, because he fears being an imposition to his family (and his colleagues at the firehouse, where he’s living).
A clip exclusive to USA TODAY highlights Matthew’s concerns about inconveniencing his loved ones. Dr. Wolf, Matthew’s neurologist, has determined that his disease is progressing at a rate quicker than anticipated. When Dr. Wolf recommends that Matthew use a BiPAP (Bi-level Positive Airway Pressure) machine during sleep to improve his breathing, Matthew refuses.
“Well, we don’t have to make a decision right now,” Dr. Wolf says. “But…things are moving faster than we’d hoped, and we need to make a plan before we get into trouble.”
“Dr. Wolf, when I told you I couldn’t use my hands, you said I couldn’t live alone,” Matthew replies. “Fine, the guys at the station, they got me… But that’s it. I’m not having them deal with strapping me in and out of a machine at night. I got to draw the line.”
Matthew then admits to Dr. Wolf that he’s kept his diagnosis from his family. “What’s it matter?” Matthew asks. “Nobody survives this. We both know that, and I know how to take care of my family.”
Dane, Grassi says, was “a joy” to work with. The actor would arrive to set and tell Grassi, “‘Give me a hug.’ His spirit was so collaborative and so open.”
“What was really fun,” Grassi adds, is “every time we would call ‘Cut,’ and we would finish shooting a scene, there was so much laughter and banter between Eric and our cast.”
The experience was also profoundly moving for all involved. In one particular scene, which USA TODAY won’t spoil with too many details, Matthew records a message about his evolving thoughts on asking for help. Filming the scene “was so emotional,” Grassi says. In fact, Dane’s performance moved the cast and crew to their feet.
“I have never seen this happen in my entire career, but he essentially got a 10-minute standing ovation after shooting that scene, because it was so beautiful and so honest and so real,” Grassi says. “Also, while his character’s finding bravery, there’s a lot of bravery in Eric to tell the story as well. To come out and share this part of yourself is vulnerable but also really important, and I think raises awareness and shows people that they’re not alone.”
Dane met with Rep. Eric Swalwell in September to discuss ALS. In footage that the California Congressman shared to TikTok, Dane can be heard vowing to fight until the end.
“I’m going to ring every bell,” Dane said. “I have two daughters at home (Billie, 15, and Georgia, 13, with wife Rebecca Gayheart). I want to see them graduate college, get married, maybe even have grandkids. I want to be there for all that so I’m going to fight until the last breath on this one.”
