Eric Dane on “Countdown”, “Euphoria” season 3: “ it is folded by the mentality “

Eric Dane is preparing for a new mission.
The actor – perhaps better known to play the complicated father of Jacob Elordi on “Euphoria” – presents himself in the role of Nathan Blythe on the “countdown” of Amazon Prime, launching on June 25. On the series, an act of violence against a department of the internal security agent stimulates the creation of a working group through the law enforcement agencies; Their goal is to thwart a catastrophic plot against the city of Los Angeles. Dane is a special agent who must manage the various officers working together.
The role capitalizes on a certain quality authoritative in the right actor on the back of iron, who played an army ranger in “Bad Boys: Ride or Die” of 2024 and a captain in the 2010 series “The Last Ship”. Dane’s career has also defined by the roles of the sexy surgeon “McSteamy” (also known as Dr. Mark Sloan) on “Gray’s Anatomy” from 2006 to 2012 and as Cal Jacobs of “Euphoria”, whose conflictual sexuality and rolled rage make the case that the problems do not go when you graduate from high school.
In April, Dane announced that he had received a diagnosis of SLA; He remains in production on “Euphoria”. Dane spoke to Variety in a zoom Interview at the end of May.

What made you say yes to this role?

It is always based on the material, and I thought that writing had an effortless rhythm – the spectacle had a personality. But also, he filmed in Los Angeles – logistically, it was something to what I could not say no.

You are often thrown as figures of authority. Did it take time to gain gravity and authority to make roles like these?

I’m not like that in real life. This is not something I wear with me. It’s just something I play. But this role seems quite naturally to me. I try to play against the beats that 100 other actors could take. There should be an attempted humor. Each leader I respected has a great sense of humor.

“Countdown” was shot in the hiatus between seasons 2 and 3 of “Euphoria” because the production of the last season has been continuously pushed. Is it breathtaking to find work in time between the seasons?

It is frustrating because HBO has an exclusivity. It is therefore difficult to go out and find another job – a show that they expect to have legs. HBO will probably not allow this, because it will interfere with the “Euphoria” program, of course. It was therefore difficult to be put on the ice for a little, but I found other interesting things to do. And you learn to wait.

“Countdown” plays like a network drama, and the creator of the show obviously worked in Network TV with the “Chicago” franchise of shows. Having worked for several years on “Gray’s Anatomy”, does this rhythm familiar? Do you appreciate it?

It’s familiar. I want us to have another day by episode; This is something we have to chat with Amazon. But I like this rhythm, and I am used to this rate.

However, “Euphoria” accustomed me to a completely different type of rhythm. We take 20 to 30 days to shoot an episode of “Euphoria”. And it’s an absolute luxury. When I fired on “Bad Boys”, we did not shoot more than three pages a day; It was a big day if we drew three pages. And this rhythm, for an artist, is much more ideal. I learned very early on what the pace was on a set of eight to 10 days to finish an episode. It comes naturally to me, but I must tell you that it is sometimes exhausting.

Are these “euphoria” shots of 20 to 30 days sometimes become boring too? Do you always find new things to Cal over several weeks?

I try to make different choices. There are many moments of discovery that you do not necessarily get when you turn eight days to finish an episode – when there are not many sockets, so there are not many moments for the construction of characters.

It’s probably on you to find the character’s moments in the script, if you can.

You should find them in small moments – entry and outputs.

Did work with Sam Levinson on “Euphoria” change you as an actor?

I have always had a deep respect for the acting profession, but I never considered myself an artist. I could never admit it until I start to make “euphoria”. It was then that I gave myself the allowance to feel like I was an artist.

I was delighted to learn that you are returning to “Euphoria”, after the degradation of Cal at the end of the stages of season 2, while he confronts his family and is so haunted by his past and his desires. I am curious to know if there is the possibility that CAL will be bought in season 3.

Listen, I don’t know anything. I haven’t seen a script. We get pages maybe a day or two before, but everything is held on the DL

I have so much confidence in Sam Levinson that I don’t really need to know what’s going on. The day, he can just tell me what to do and where to go, and I’m good with that.

Is it strange to think about how “Grey’s Anatomy” still continues and that you were a large part of the previous success of the series?

It’s pretty funny. I loved doing this show. I loved the excitement around this show when we worked there. And the original distribution and I gave him a good base for him to live as long as he did – and it is a testimony of Ellen Pompeo and Shonda Rhimes and her writing team.

Did that have the impression that history was repeated, to be part of “euphoria” because it dominates culture?

It is to be folded in mind that I was one of the shows that were very Zeitgeisty – I suppose it is a word. I love to make shows that you know that people will present themselves to watch. It’s rare, and it’s not lost for me.

Given that most of your distribution comrades on “Euphoria” were younger actors, who have all experienced major career increases since the start of the show, do you fear that you couldn’t face it?

I was just hoping that none of them had an attitude. It is very easy to obtain when your Instagram follow -up goes from 30,000 to 30 million people overnight. But I am happy to announce that everyone has a good head on their shoulders. They were professional and are still. I love Jacob, I like Z.

I work a lot with Jacob; We have deep conversations when we don’t turn. He is an intelligent, brilliant and intuitive actor. You can apply it at all levels with this cast. Sam had a very specific idea of ​​what he wanted, and he came out and understood it. I have a fairly good radar with regard to people who will turn into absolute asshole holes. I just knew with [Jacob] That he was going to be a straight, spread out. He maintained this.

Given your radar for others, do you think you have managed to avoid becoming an asshole, as you say, despite the success?

I have my moments. For the most part, I am a pretty good guy. Professionalism is very important to me. The way you conduct yourself on a set and out of a whole is very important to me. I have my moments; We all do it. But I don’t think I can be a terrible person.

All we know about the future of “Euphoria” is that you are shooting season 3 right now. Do you want the show to continue beyond?

I’m going to put this show up until the wheels fall. I don’t know what is the spectacle fate. I know that it takes a heroic effort to collect it. If all the elements will be there to continue, I would work there as long as they will have me.

I wanted to deal with the way you announced your ALS diagnosis recently. Many people deeply care about your well-being, and I am curious to know how much it made to share this news with them.

With real respect, I really don’t want to talk about it. I made the announcement. This is what is happening with me; It’s very personal for me. And I just want to continue talking about “countdown”.

On this note: what type of work you hopes to be able to do in the future?

This is a good question, because it maintains in the question you have already asked me. I am ready and willing to do just about anything, but I have limits which, I understand, will prevent me from playing certain roles. I work on “Euphoria”. I finished “countdown”. Regarding this, I am quite capable.

“Countdown” seems to me an interesting contrast to “Euphoria” because it is such a big show of tents – like the kind of procedures that my family looked at when I was a child.

You need a character distribution with a certain chemistry, and they are people you can identify. And then you must have a scenario that will allow people to want to appear the following week. These elements are all there with the “countdown”. Listen, we take eight days to shoot an episode. We don’t make “Lawrence of Arabia”, but it’s really good.

This interview has been modified and condensed.