A Heartfelt Remembrance
Euphoria made sure to pay tribute to late star Eric Dane as the HBO series returned for its highly-anticipated Season 3 premiere. Prior to Sunday's premiere, a title card featuring Dane's photo played on the episode alongside the message, "In remembrance of Eric Dane."
Dane, who died on Feb. 19 at the age of 53, less than a year after he announced he had been diagnosed with ALS, will reprise his character of Cal Jacobs in the third season of Euphoria, having filmed for the HBO drama prior to his passing.
Sam Levinson Reflects on Dane's Final Performance
Show creator Sam Levinson gushed about working with the actor on his final onscreen performance during a recent interview. “Eric called me before we started shooting and told me that he had been diagnosed with ALS,” Levinson recalled. “We had a lot of conversations about just life and what that meant. I loved him very deeply, and I said, ‘Eric, whatever shape you show up in, we’re gonna make it work. I have faith that it’s all gonna work.’”
“He showed up and I could tell he had a slight slur in his voice and he told me that,” the showrunner added. “I said, ‘Don’t worry. We’ll just put, like, five beer bottles in front of you and you’ve been drinking all night.’ He was like, ‘Perfect, perfect.’ And his character, it was such a gift.”
Levinson revealed that Dane's scenes were shot during Nate's (Jacob Elordi) wedding to Cassie (Sydney Sweeney), which was a major production. “We’ve got 28 cast members on set, and he just showed up every day with such grace and dignity,” Levinson recalled of Dane. “He was a great human being.”