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 THE GREAT DANE
You May Know Him As Dr. McSteamy, But Eric Dane Made His TV Debut 15 Years Ago—On Saved By The Bell
Eric Dane steams up your TV screen week after week as a hot-to-trot doc on ABC’s hit Grey’s Anatomy. This month he also tackles a politically charged topic—gay marriage—in the refreshingly breezy Wedding Wars with co-stars John Stamos and Mr. Barbra Streisand, James Brolin.
INSTINCT: We’ve become quick fans over here at Instinct since we discovered you a year ago on Grey’s Anatomy as Dr. McSteamy.
ERIC DANE: Right on. Thanks, guys.
That name’s a lot to live up to. Do
you get that nickname on the street a lot from fans?
Yeah, it is!
[Laughs] But you know what? Most of the time it’s just, “Hey, aren’t you that guy? You’re that guy, aren’t ya…on Grey’s Anatomy?” They don’t get real specific.
Okay, first let’s talk about Wedding Wars. Your character, Ben, is a
conflicted speechwriter for a Republican governor. What’s your take on
Ben?
Ben’s a politician. What’s more, he’s protecting a politician as his
campaign manager. He’s taking polls and listening to polls, and he’s
gonna take the position of what the state says regardless of how Ben
feels personally. I think that at the core, Ben thinks there’s nothing
wrong with [gay marriage]. The reason he feels conflicted over it is
because so many other people are against it.
How do you think people in Middle America will react to the premise?
Well,
I think simply…this is a good film. This is not a “gay” film. It’s a
romantic comedy that happens to have a gay guy in it and some gay
themes. They’ve done a really good job about being really subtle with
what could be a heavyhanded issue [gay marriage].
Do you think this movie will change minds?
I don’t think people should come away from this film thinking, Wow,
I have a new perspective on gay marriage, because I think you want to
shy away from that to the point where there doesn’t need to be any
thought going on about it. I don’t want people coming away from this
movie thinking anything other than, I just saw a good movie, because
[gay marriage] should be something that’s so accepted that it doesn’t
even cross your mind as something you need to recognize.
Our readers may be disappointed to learn you and John Stamos play
brothers, not lovers. But what we really gotta know—since you and
Stamos come to fisticuffs in this film—is could you really kick his ass or what?
[Laughs] You know, I want to say he fights like a girl, but he did get
the better of me in that fight scene! Filming a fight scene is tough
because you want to go for it, because the last thing you want to do is
have it look staged or fake. We’re two guys and we wanna be guys and
we’re like, “C’mon, you can hit me harder!” And, you know, by take
three, you’re looking to the director like, “Tell me you got [the shot]
’cause I can’t do this anymore!”
The whole country is watching you stir up more trouble this season
on Grey’s, but what about the powers-that-be? Are they paying more
attention to Eric Dane these days?
I hope so, man. That show gets
watched by a lot of people, and I have had a lot of fantastic response
from it.
What was the first role you ever had?
It was one line or two lines on Saved By The Bell. Which I
thought…was categorically the coolest thing that I had ever done at
that point!
Do you have a favorite role that really stays with you or one that was the most fun to play?
This is a lame answer, but I love it all. I’m sorry I gotta give you
such a lame answer, man, but each…they’ve all had their ups and downs
and their own identities as individual experiences. But, I think the
most fun I’ve ever had at work has been Grey’s Anatomy, Gideon’s
Crossing…XMen [The Last Stand] was a lot of fun just because it was
such a spectacle.
See, now you almost came off like the speechwriter you play in
Wedding Wars—trying to concoct the safe, perfect answer, but then you
came through in the end with the “real” answer. Good work!
[Laughs] See? So, now I’ll just have to shut up then!
Wedding Wars premieres Monday, Dec. 11, on A&E. Grey’s Anatomy airs Thursdays on ABC.
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