Eric Dane Recorded a Netflix Special To Be Released After His Death
A new posthumous interview with actor Eric Dane has premiered, just hours after his death was announced.
The actor, most famous for his portrayal of Dr. Mark Sloan on Grey's Anatomy from 2006 to 2012, struck a deal with Netflix to release a final interview, released after his death.
Dane died at the age of 53, just 10 months after revealing his diagnosis with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). ALS is a terminal, progressive disease "in which a person’s brain loses connection with the muscles, slowly taking away their ability to walk, talk, eat and eventually breathe," as described by the ALS Foundation. A typical lifespan is 2-5 years following diagnosis.
According to Netflix, Dane’s interview, titled Famous Last Words: Eric Dane was “conducted under an agreement that the episode would only be aired after his death.” The streamer previously released a Famous Last Words interview with the late Dr. Jane Goodall following her death last year. A number of other celebrities have said to have recorded planned posthumous interviews, but the project is mostly kept under wraps.
In the special, Dane directly addressed his two teenage daughters, with the understanding they would see the interview following his passing.
“These words are for you. I tried. I stumbled sometimes, but I tried. Overall we had a blast, didn’t we?" he told his daughters, Billie and Georgia. "I remember all the times we spent at the beach, the two of you, me and mom — in Santa Monica, Hawaii, Mexico. I see you now playing in the ocean for hours, my water babies. Those days, pun intended, were heaven. I want to tell you four things I’ve learned from this disease, and I hope you don’t just listen to me. I hope you’ll hear me.”
He then gives some advice to his children. “First, live now. Right now. In the present. It’s hard, but I learned to do that,” Dane said. “For years, I have been wandering around mentally and lost in my head for long chunks of time, wallowing and worrying in self-pity, shame, and doubt. I’ve replayed decisions, second-guessed myself. ‘I shouldn’t have done this. I never should’ve that.’"
"No more. Out of pure survival, I am forced to stay in the present. But I don’t want to be anywhere else. The past contains regrets. The future remains unknown. So you have to live now. The present is all you have. Treasure it. Cherish every moment.”
Eric Dane's Famous Last Words interview is now available to stream on Netflix.