Eric Danehas no desire to quit acting, even amid his battle withamyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
Following his appearance on"Brilliant Minds,"the "Euphoria" actor appeared on a Tuesday, Dec. 2 panel hosted by the I am ALS organization to discuss the storyline and the illness.
During the panel, the actor said he has no issue taking on other roles that center around ALS. "I'm fairly limited in what I can do physically as an actor, but I still have my brain, and I still have my speech, so I'm willing to just do about anything. I'll take on any role. From here on out, it's going to have to be ALS-centric. It's going to be very difficult for me to play any other role," he said.
"I'm fine with that," he added. "I'm grateful that I can still work in any capacity."
After nearly a decade of playing the fliratious plastic surgeonDr. Mark Sloanon "Grey's Anatomy," Dane returned to the medical drama genre in a Nov. 24 episode of "Brilliant Minds marking his first role since revealing his diagnosis in April.
He played a firefighter and father with ALS, which causes the progressive degeneration of nerve cells in the spinal cord and brain. It was his first time portraying something he is first-handly grappling with, making it emotionally challenging to separate his own experiences from his character's.
Yet, Dane called the role cathartic as an actor and a person. "There were moments it was difficult for me to get the lines out, but overall I was really grateful for the experience," he added.
Eric Dane played Dr. Mark Sloan, aka "McSteamy," on "Grey's Anatomy" for six seasons, but he's not done wooing his audiences yet. In 2025, Dane returned to TV on another medical drama, making his "Brilliant Minds" debut as "Bronx-Gen's favorite silver fox." Dane revealed in April that he'd been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, known as ALS. See the actor's career in the spotlight from the early 2000's to now, including here as he attends the "Countdown" premiere and afterparty on June 18, 2025, in Los Angeles." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />
Rebecca Gayheart and Eric Dane attend the Chrysalis Third Annual Butterfly Ball at a private residence on April 17, 2004, in Beverly Hills, California. The former couple, who share two children, got married that year." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
From left: Publisher of OK! Magazine Tom Morrissey, general manager of A&E Robert DeBitetto, actor John Stamos, executive producer Craig Zadan, actor Eric Dane and entertainment media director of GLAAS Damon Romine arrive at the premiere of A&E original film "Wedding Wars" at the ArcLight Theater on Dec. 4, 2006, in Los Angeles." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Eric Dane and Patrick Dempsey pose during the 33rd annual People's Choice Awards held at the Shrine Auditorium on Jan. 9, 2007, in Los Angeles." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Sara Ramirez and Eric Dane arrive at the 33rd annual People's Choice Awards held at the Shrine Auditorium on Jan. 9, 2007, in Los Angeles." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
From left, top to bottom: Ellen Pompeo, Kate Walsh, Chandra Wilson, Sandra Oh, Katherine Heigl, Sara Ramirez, Justin Chambers, Patrick Dempsey, James Pickens Jr., Eric Dane and T.R. Knight, winners of the ensemble in a drama series award for "Grey's Anatomy" pose in the press room during the 13th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards held at the Shrine Auditorium on Jan. 28, 2007, in Los Angeles." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Eric Dane, left, and Patrick Dempsey, winners of the ensemble in a drama series award for "Grey's Anatomy" pose in the press room during the 13th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards held at the Shrine Auditorium on Jan. 28, 2007, in Los Angeles." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Eric Dane and Ellen Pompeo attend a party for Dane and "Grey's Anatomy" cast members hosted by Men's Heath magazine at Tenjune May 14, 2007, in New York City." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Eric Dane arrives at the 12th annual GQ magazine Men of the Year celebration, Dec. 5, 2007, in Hollywood, California." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Eric Dane starred alongside Jennifer Aniston, right, and Owen Wilson, center, in "Marley & Me." They arrived together at the premiere at the Mann Village Theater on Dec. 11, 2008, in Westwood, California." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Lena Gercke and Eric Dane attend a party to celebrate the fifth anniversary of TV channel TNT Serie at Kesselhalle on May 8, 2014, in Munich, Germany." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
The Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus, center, and Admiral Dawn Cutler present actor Eric Dane with a shadow box containing Navy medals earned by his father at the TNT "The Last Ship" Washington D.C. screening at The Newseum on June 12, 2015, in Washington, D.C." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Eric Dane speaks on stage at "The Last Ship" panel at Comic-Con on July 9, 2015, in San Diego, California." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Rebecca Gayheart, right, and Eric Dane with their children, Georgia Dane and Billie Beatrice Dane, at the 16th annual Chrysalis Butterfly Ball on June 3, 2017, in Los Angeles." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Adam Baldwin, Bridget Regan and Eric Dane at TNT's "The Last Ship" panel and exclusive sneak peek for Season 4 during Comic-Con on July 23, 2017, in San Diego, California." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Patrick Mahomes, Eric Dane, Lilly Singh and Jared Goff attend the 2019 ESPYs at Microsoft Theater on July 10, 2019, in Los Angeles." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
From left: Alexa Demie, Hunter Schafer, Eric Dane, Maude Apatow, Zendaya, Barbie Ferreira, Sydney Sweeney, Sam Levinson and Colman Domingo attend the HBO Max FYC event for "Euphoria" at Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on April 20, 2022, in Los Angeles." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
John C. McGinley and Eric Dane, right, who was the 2022 Quincy Jones Exceptional Advocacy Award Recipient, attend the Global Down Syndrome Foundation's 14th annual Be Beautiful Be Yourself fashion show at the Sheraton Downtown Denver Hotel on Nov. 12, 2022, in Denver." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Eric Dane and his daughters Billie Beatrice Dane and Georgia Dane attend the premiere of "Bad Boys: Ride or Die" at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, California, on May 30, 2024." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Eric Dane shakes hands with Medicare and Medicaid Administrator Mehmet Oz during a news conference to discuss health insurance at the Department of Health and Human Services Headquarters in Washington, D.C., on June 23, 2025. During the press conference Kennedy and Oz announced a plan they hope will streamline pre-authorizations for health procedures by health insurance providers." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> From 'Grey's Anatomy' to 'Brilliant Minds,' see Eric Dane's career
Eric Daneplayed Dr. Mark Sloan, aka "McSteamy," on "Grey's Anatomy" for six seasons, but he's not done wooing his audiences yet. In 2025, Dane returned to TV on another medical drama, makinghis "Brilliant Minds" debutas "Bronx-Gen's favorite silver fox."Dane revealed in April that he'd been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, known as ALS. See the actor's career in the spotlight from the early 2000's to now, including here as he attends the "Countdown" premiere and afterparty on June 18, 2025, in Los Angeles.
Eric Dane says he's glad he found the strength to fight ALS
Following his diagnosis, Dane said he had every right to crawl into bed and cry for two weeks straight.
"I have no reason to be a good spirit at any time on any given day," Dane said. "I was a little bit pleasantly surprised to realize that I wasn't built like that because I thought for sure that was going to be me."
The actor added that it was encouraging to discover he has a buoyant spirit in the face of adversity and that he manages to show up for his loved ones. "It's imperative that I share my journey with as many people as I can because I don't feel like my life is about me anymore," he said. "And it's something I had to wrestle with because I'm a pretty selfish person and I would love for my life to be all about me."
"(But) I don't think I'd be able to move forward if that were the case," Dane added.
On top of being open about his battle with the debilitating illness, Dane has sought to spread awareness about the thousands of others affected by it. On Sept. 29, he met withRep. Eric Swalwellto discuss the diseaseas an ambassador of I am ALS, where the actor vowed to fight until his last breath.
"I want to ring every bell," he said during his speech in Washington, DC. "I have two daughters at home. I want to see them graduate college, get married, maybe even have grandkids. You know I want to be there for all that, so I'm going to fight until the last breath on this one."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Eric Dane doesn't want to quit acting even amid ALS battle