Eric Dane’s Candid Take on Acting Amid ALS Battle

Eric Dane did not mince words when questioned about whether he plans on continuing his acting career amid his serious battle against the incurable degenerative neurological disorder, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

‘I’m going to ride this till the wheels fall off,’ the 52-year-old Grey’s Anatomy alum told E! News on Tuesday.

‘It keeps me sharp. It keeps me moving forward, which is super important right now.’

Eric insisted he feels ‘great when I’m at work’ despite losing the function of his dominant right arm in the year since he was diagnosed with ALS.

‘Of course, there have been some sort of setbacks,’ Dane admitted.

‘But I feel pretty good. My spirit is always pretty buoyant, so at the end of the day, that’s all that matters.’

Eric Dane (pictured August 6) did not mince words when questioned about whether he plans on continuing his acting career amid his serious battle against the incurable degenerative neurological disorder, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)

Audiences can next catch the SAG Award winner as Special Agent Nathan Blythe in Derek Haas’ new 13-episode crime drama Countdown, which premieres June 25 on Amazon Prime Video.

Eric’s co-star Jensen Ackles said he brought a ‘beautiful, quiet leadership’ to the cast that was ‘incredibly needed’ in Countdown: ‘That was just something that was so beneficial to the process of creating a team both on and off camera.’

Dane recently reprised his role as the closeted real estate agent Cal Jacobs in the third season of HBO hit show Euphoria, which is produced by and starring Zendaya as Ruby ‘Rue’ Bennett.

‘I’ve shot already,’ the San Francisco-born silver fox teased. ‘It’s good.’

Sam Levinson’s drug-fueled drama will welcome newcomers Sharon Stone, Rosalía, Marshawn Lynch, and Kadeem Hardison in season three.

But it’s unclear what the status is of Malik Vitthal’s Montenegro-set wedding thriller Family Secrets, which cast Eric as the family patriarch back in 2023.

And Dane famously got his big break portraying plastic surgeon Mark ‘McSteamy’ Sloan from 2006–2012 on the ABC medical drama Grey’s Anatomy.

The Bad Boys: Ride or Die action star is currently taking medication to slow the symptoms and he’s also participating in a research study.

‘I will fly to Germany and eat the head off a rattlesnake if [doctors] told me that that would help,’ Eric told Good Morning America‘s Diane Sawyer on Monday.

‘I’ll assume the risk.’

The 52-year-old Grey’s Anatomy alum told E! News on Tuesday: ‘I’m going to ride this till the wheels fall off. It keeps me sharp. It keeps me moving forward, which is super important right now’ 

Eric insisted he feels ‘great when I’m at work’ despite losing the function of his dominant right arm in the year since he was diagnosed with ALS: ‘Of course, there have been some sort of setbacks, but I feel pretty good’ (pictured in 2024)

Audiences can next catch the SAG Award winner as Special Agent Nathan Blythe in Derek Haas’ new 13-episode crime drama Countdown, which premieres June 25 on Amazon Prime Video 

Eric’s co-star Jensen Ackles (R) said he brought a ‘beautiful, quiet leadership’ to the cast that was ‘incredibly needed’ in Countdown: ‘That was just something that was so beneficial to the process of creating a team both on and off camera’

Dane recently reprised his role as the closeted real estate agent Cal Jacobs in the third season of HBO hit show Euphoria, which is produced by and starring Zendaya as Ruby ‘Rue’ Bennett 

‘I’ve shot already,’ the San Francisco-born silver fox teased. ‘It’s good’

Eric famously got his big break portraying plastic surgeon Mark ‘McSteamy’ Sloan from 2006–2012 on the ABC medical drama Grey’s Anatomy

Dane is currently taking medication to slow the symptoms and he’s also participating in a research study: ‘I will fly to Germany and eat the head off a rattlesnake if [doctors] told me that that would help’

The Bad Boys: Ride or Die action star told GMA’s Diane Sawyer on Monday that he fears he will lose function of his left hand ‘in a few more months’ and he’s also ‘worried about my legs’

Dane fears he will lose function of his left hand ‘in a few more months’ and he’s also ‘worried about my legs.’

‘Sobering,’ the father-of-two admitted.

‘I’m very hopeful, yeah, I don’t think this is the end of my story. I’m pretty resilient. I just don’t feel, like in my heart, [that] this is the end of me.’

On average, ALS patients live two to five years following their first symptoms, but FDA-approved medications and physical/speech therapies might slow down the progression of the disorder.