Eric Dane has opened up on his Grey’s Anatomy exit and admitted he thinks he was fired from the hit show.
The star, 51, played the role of Dr Mark Sloan for six seasons on the hit medical drama series, between 2006 and 2012. However, over a decade later he has admitted it wasn’t his choice to call it a day.
Speaking on Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert podcast, the Euphoria star said: “I didn’t leave so much as I think I was let go.”
Host Dax went on to note the actor was known to have been “struggling” with drug and alcohol addiction at the time of his exit. Eric acknowledged this was the case, but said it wasn’t the cause of his role coming to an end.
“I was struggling. They didn’t let me go because of that, although it definitely didn’t help,” he claimed.
Instead, he says he believed financial issues had a big part to play in his character being axed. ““ 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,” he went on.
“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.”
He revealed how he had changed as a person since the days he was first hired so he understood the producers’ call to let him go. He also praised the show’s creator. Shonda Rhimes, for “protecting” him during his exit.
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.”