Eric Dane returns to TV in a role that leans into his ALS diagnosis
By Lisa Respers France, CNN
(CNN) — Eric Dane’s latest role is probably his most personal to date.
The “Euphoria” star has been talking about his diagnosis with and treatment for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis since April.
Dane appeared in an episode of “Brilliant Minds” this week, playing a firefighter named Matthew who also suffers from the progressive neurodegenerative disease known as ALS.
Showrunner Michael Grassi told Deadline that Dane’s team reached out to say the actor was a fan of the show and would like to appear. Grassi, a fan of Dane’s, said he was “so excited by the opportunity to tell a story with him and what he’s currently dealing with.”
“So Eric and I had a series of conversations, and funny enough, our first Zoom, I had to fly home for a family emergency with a family member dealing with a difficult diagnosis, and I Zoomed from that family member’s house, and I remember our conversations very quickly started circling this very simple idea of what is it like for a family to navigate a difficult diagnosis,” Grassi said.
The producer said part of the goal of the Thanksgiving episode was to show “what is it like for a family to have to work through this together?”
They used the opportunity to talk about what it can be like for people who give help for a living to ask for help, with Dane’s firefighter character Matthew as an example. “I think that’s the hardest thing for this character of Matthew, and I think it’s hard for a lot of people to accept help,” Grassi said.
In October Dane traveled to Washington, DC, with the nonprofit I AM ALS, to advocate for further research and assistance in neurodegenerative diseases.
In DC, he talked about his desire for the future.
“I have two daughters at home. I want to see them, you know, graduate college, and get married and maybe have grandkids,” Dane said at the time. “You know, I want to be there for all that. So I’m going to fight to the last breath on this one.”
The-CNN-Wire
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