In what turned out to be one of his last on-camera interviews before his death, Eric Dane spoke candidly about the “fortuitous” evolution of his relationship with his wife, Rebecca Gayheart, while offering words of wisdom for their children.
On Friday, Netflix unveiled “Famous Last Words: Eric Dane,” a never-before-seen interview with the late “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Euphoria” actor. Over the course of the 50-minute chat, Dane touched on the complex nature of his marriage to Gayheart, with whom he shares daughters Billie, 15, and Georgia, 14.
“We still love each other deeply. I just think we don’t want to live with each other. But there’s a lot of love there,” Dane said. “I will have never ― by the time anybody sees this ― have fallen in love with another woman as deeply as I fell in love with Rebecca. She’s the mother of my children.”
Watch a clip from “Famous Last Words: Eric Dane” below.
Dane died Thursday of complications related to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS. According to Netflix, the 53-year-old agreed to be interviewed by “Famous Last Words” host Brad Falchuk in November of last year on the condition that the footage be released after his death.
Dane and Gayheart were married for 22 years. In 2018, Gayheart filed for divorce, but withdrew her petition in March of last year, one month before Dane went public with his ALS diagnosis.
Speaking to The Cut in December, Gayheart said her husband’s health issues had “changed my approach to everything” while acknowledging: “Eric and I are not a couple; we’re family.”
“Our love may not be romantic, but it’s a familial love,” she explained. “Eric knows that I am always going to want the best for him. That I’m going to do my best to do right by him. And I know he would do the same for me.”
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Though Dane had retreated from the spotlight in the months before his death, he continued to work. In November, he made a guest appearance on the NBC medical drama “Brilliant Minds,” portraying a firefighter who is coming to terms with an ALS diagnosis. Fans can also expect to see him as Cal Jacobs, the father of Jacob Elordi’s Nate Jacobs, in Season 3 of “Euphoria,” due out on HBO Max in April.
“Famous Last Words” ends with an emotional Dane offering some words of wisdom to his daughters.
“Billie and Georgia, these words are for you. I tried. I stumbled sometimes, but I tried,” he says. “Overall, we had a blast, didn’t we? I remember all the times we spent at the beach, the two of you, me and mom — in Malibu, Santa Monica, Hawaii, Mexico. I see you now playing in the ocean for hours, my water babies. Those days, pun intended, were heaven.”
He goes on to share “four things I’ve learned from this disease,” including the significance of living in the present and falling in love, before concluding, “I hope I’ve demonstrated that you can face anything. You can face the end of your days. You can face hell with dignity. Fight, girls, and hold your heads high.”
