Eric Dane received a 10-minute standing ovation after he was done filming a guest appearance on “Brilliant Minds.”
The actor channeled his struggles with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) to portray a firefighter with the same disease during Monday’s episode.
After filming a particularly “emotional” scene, the show’s creator, Michael Grassi, told USA Today, “I have never seen this happen in my entire career, but he essentially got a 10-minute standing ovation after shooting that scene, because it was so beautiful and so honest and so real.
“Also, while his character’s finding bravery, there’s a lot of bravery in Eric to tell the story as well. To come out and share this part of yourself is vulnerable but also really important, and I think raises awareness and shows people that they’re not alone.”
Grassi also details jumping at the opportunity to work with Dane when the actor’s team reached out for a part in the show.
While dealing with a “health emergency” himself, Grassi and Dane played with “this idea of ‘How does a family navigate a difficult diagnosis?’”
“And there’s no rule book. There’s no right way or wrong way to do it. And in our conversations, something that he was dealing with very much in real time, and I was dealing with in my life, and a lot of people deal with every day is, how do you navigate, how do you communicate and how do you accept help?” the producer, who also worked in shows like “Riverdale,” told the outlet.
Despite his struggles with the debilitating illness, Grassi said Dane “was a joy” to work with, always asking for a hug when he arrived on set while “his spirit was so collaborative and so open.”
“What was really fun is every time we would call ‘Cut,’ and we would finish shooting a scene, there was so much laughter and banter between Eric and our cast,” he noted.
On Monday, it was announced that Dane, 53, would be appearing in his first TV role filmed after his diagnosis.
In the Season 2 episode, the actor played a firefighter named Matthew, who is struggling to tell his family about his ALS.
Dane revealed his ALS diagnosis in April with a statement that read, “I have been diagnosed with ALS. I am grateful to have my loving family by my side as we navigate this next chapter.”
During his first interview two months later, he gave “Good Morning America” viewers a “sobering” update about his “right side … completely not working.”
The “Euphoria” star explained, “I have one functioning arm. My dominant side, my left side, is functioning.”
Amid his diagnosis, Dane called off his divorce from wife Rebecca Gayheart, who recently detailed the “super complicated” role she plays in his life.
Speaking about their two daughters, she said on the “Broad Ideas” podcast, “I just want to make sure I provide them with the opportunity to spend time with him, so they don’t ever look back [and wish they did more].
“I really want to make sure to help facilitate that stuff for them.”
The “Jawbreaker” actress wed Dane in October 2004 before filing for divorce in 2018 after 13 years of marriage. They share daughters Billie, 15, and Georgia, 13.
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