Eric Dane’s daughter is curious to know what happened to her dad’s Grey’s Anatomy physique.
“When [my 12-year-old daughter] started watching it a couple of years ago, [she] looked at me and said, ‘Dad, where did your abs go?’” Dane, 51, said in a Tuesday, August 6, interview with Variety. “She was serious. She wasn’t making a joke.”
After hearing his daughter’s bold remark, Dane teased that he is now motivated to have his abs make a comeback at some point.
“I just need to put some more effort in,” he quipped. “I have a climber but I’m not using it as much as I should. I am going to get back on that thing.”
Dane shares two daughters with ex-wife Rebecca Gayheart, whom he was married to from 2004 to 2018. During that time he played Dr. Mark Sloan, also known as McSteamy, on the long-running medical drama from 2006 to 2012.
For Dane’s debut on the medical drama, he walked out of the bathroom dripping water and wearing a strategically placed towel. While Dane joined the show as the latest heartthrob alongside Patrick Dempsey, his character became a fan favorite amongst the audience thanks to his charming personality.
In the season 8 finale, Mark is involved in an aviation accident alongside Lexie (Chyler Leigh), Derek (Dempsey), Meredith (Ellen Pompeo), Cristina (Sandra Oh) and Arizona (Jessica Capshaw). Lexie, who was Dane’s love interest, dies in the crash.
Fans learn in season 9 that Mark is on life support due to the extensive injuries he sustained. Per his final wishes, Mark is taken off life support after showing no signs of waking within 30 days.
Dane made a brief return to Grey’s in 2021 in a dream sequence with Meredith. Despite reprising his role a few years ago, Dane doesn’t see himself returning to the show, as his character’s storyline is complete.
“I think I did exactly what I was supposed to do on that show,” Dane said to the outlet on Tuesday. “I think I was on that show for exactly the amount of time that I was supposed to be on that show, and irrespective of how or why or in what manner in which I had departed, I think everything happened exactly as it was supposed to happen.”
Dane confessed he doesn’t keep up with the show too much anymore as it is about to embark on its 21st season. However, he does have fond memories of his fellow costars.
“I don’t watch Grey’s Anatomy [now] and I didn’t watch much when I was on but I sure did have a fun time making it,” he recalled. “The actors had such a great relationship. I remember showing up to set and being like, ‘I love spending time with these people.’”
Earlier this year, Dane admitted he believed he was “let go” from Grey’s. He also confessed that he was suffering from addiction issues at the time, but those did not play a factor in his exit.
“Although 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,” Dane said during a June appearance on Dax Shepard’s “Armchair Expert” podcast. “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’re fine.”