Eric Dane’s final interview before his death is currently being streamed on Netflix as part of the platform’s posthumous interview series Famous Last Words, which “gives audiences around the world the opportunity to hear from a cultural icon after his death.” Dane, best known for his role as Dr. Mark Sloan on Grey’s Anatomy, passed away on February 19, about 10 months after being diagnosed with ALS.
According to Netflix, Dane’s interview was “conducted with the agreement that the episode would only air after his death.” The streamer’s “Famous Last Words” series began last fall with a posthumous interview with Dr. Jane Goodall.
At the end of the Netflix interview, Dane told his daughters Billie and Georgia on camera: “These words are for you. I tried. I stumbled sometimes, but I tried. Overall, it was a lot of fun, you know?” I remember all the times my mom and I spent on the beach in Santa Monica, Hawaii, and Mexico. Now I’m watching you play in the ocean for hours, my water babies. I was just kidding back then, but here’s what I learned from this disease. I would like to tell you four things, and I hope you will not just listen to me.”
“First of all, live in the moment. Live in the moment. Live in the moment. It’s difficult, but I’ve learned to do it,” Dane says. “For years, I spent long periods of time wandering mentally, wallowing in self-pity, shame, doubt, worrying. Making decisions, second-guessing myself. ‘I shouldn’t have done this. I shouldn’t have done that.’ No more. Pure survival. But I don’t want to be anywhere else. The future is still unknown, so you have to live in the present. Cherish every moment.”
“Second, you fall in love,” Dane continues. “Not necessarily with anyone, but I would recommend that too. But fall in love with something. Find your passion, your joy. Find what makes you want to get up in the morning, find what drives you all day. I fell in love for the first time when I was about your age. I fell in love with acting. That love has finally gotten me through my darkest hours, my darkest days, my darkest years. I still love my job, I still look forward to it, I still want to be in front of the camera, but my job doesn’t define me, but find my path, my purpose, my dreams.
Dane’s third lesson is, “Choose your friends wisely,” and his fourth is, “Fight with all your being and with dignity. In good health or not, fight when the going gets tough. Never give up. Fight until your last breath. This disease is slowly eating away at my body, but it will never take away my spirit.”
“Billy and Georgia, you are my heart. You are my everything. Good night. I love you. Those are my last words,” Dane says at the end of the episode.
Dane’s final interview is now available on Netflix.
