TV Guide article on Eric Dane
Usually when an actor joins a television series to play a love interest, they're fairly safe to assume the fans will like them. Unless they're playing a heartbreaking cad, it stands to reason most viewers will applaud the fact the arrival will make one of the established characters a little bit happier.
But Eric Dane is learning that it's sometimes possible to get the best of both worlds. As Dr Mark Sloan, aka McSteamy, he is playing that cad, a handsome plastic surgeon who landed in the hit series Grey's Anatomy last year and quickly hit on Meredith Grey (played by Ellen Pompeo) and Addison Shepherd (Kate Walsh). For his troubles he earned a punch in the face from resident heart-throb Dr Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey), who is the sometime boyfriend of the former and ex-husband of the latter. And that, the producers thought, was the end of McSteamy.
But despite the fact he behaved like a stereotypical love rat, McSeamy became a favourite for fans and writers who realised he was just the type of bad-boy the series needed. Which is why this year, McSteamy is back, and he's going to be stirring things up more than ever.
"Playing the ultimate cad," Dane said, "it's a lot of fun. You never know what the writers are going to come up with for this guy, it's kind of wide open, there's really no parameters. "However, I think he really loves Addison, I think that he has never loved a woman like he loves Addison," Dane said. "But his actions don't support an undying love that's going to transcend time. He cheated on her. He sleeps with anything with a pulse... Sloan's not a bad guy, he just doesn't like to sleep alone."
And as if McSteamy hasn't already caused enough trouble, he's about to have "a moment" with another Grey's character, who is already part of a couple. "My situation just becomes more and more hopeless every day," Dane said. "But I think that particular moment is a mistake for him. For Sloan the real thing is fixing his relationship with the man who was once his best friend. His priority is to make it up to Derek."
Dempsey agreed the arrival of McSteamy has given the show new life. At the very least, he said, it's nice to have another man on set. "It's certainly humbling when he takes his shirt off," Dempsey said. "It puts everybody in perspective." But, he added, any rivalry was only on screen. "I think people want to build something up or have a lot of conflict and it's not there," he said. "Eric's a lot of fun and we have a good sense of humour about it all. There's no conflict."
Flashback: Kate Walsh
These days McSteamy might be wooing her, but the first time Kate Walsh made an impression as a television series love interest, her leading man was very different when she starred in The Drew Carey Show as Drew's girlfriend, Nicki Fifer. Not only was her beau less glamorous than now, so was her role. As Nicki, she struggled with her weight and for one scene wore a prosthetic "fat suit" to add 37 kilograms to her body.
Medical Misfit:
No matter how hated McSteamy gets for daring to throw a spanner in Cupid's works, Eric Dane can take heart that at least he doesn't share the fate of Miranda Bailey, played by Chandra Wilson. Despite Wilson's best efforts to make her character likeable, she's still known as "the nazi". "Personally I think Dr Bailey is completely misunderstood," Wilson said. "She is a wonderful human being and she cares about everybody at large - just not at work."
But Eric Dane is learning that it's sometimes possible to get the best of both worlds. As Dr Mark Sloan, aka McSteamy, he is playing that cad, a handsome plastic surgeon who landed in the hit series Grey's Anatomy last year and quickly hit on Meredith Grey (played by Ellen Pompeo) and Addison Shepherd (Kate Walsh). For his troubles he earned a punch in the face from resident heart-throb Dr Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey), who is the sometime boyfriend of the former and ex-husband of the latter. And that, the producers thought, was the end of McSteamy.
But despite the fact he behaved like a stereotypical love rat, McSeamy became a favourite for fans and writers who realised he was just the type of bad-boy the series needed. Which is why this year, McSteamy is back, and he's going to be stirring things up more than ever.
"Playing the ultimate cad," Dane said, "it's a lot of fun. You never know what the writers are going to come up with for this guy, it's kind of wide open, there's really no parameters. "However, I think he really loves Addison, I think that he has never loved a woman like he loves Addison," Dane said. "But his actions don't support an undying love that's going to transcend time. He cheated on her. He sleeps with anything with a pulse... Sloan's not a bad guy, he just doesn't like to sleep alone."
And as if McSteamy hasn't already caused enough trouble, he's about to have "a moment" with another Grey's character, who is already part of a couple. "My situation just becomes more and more hopeless every day," Dane said. "But I think that particular moment is a mistake for him. For Sloan the real thing is fixing his relationship with the man who was once his best friend. His priority is to make it up to Derek."
Dempsey agreed the arrival of McSteamy has given the show new life. At the very least, he said, it's nice to have another man on set. "It's certainly humbling when he takes his shirt off," Dempsey said. "It puts everybody in perspective." But, he added, any rivalry was only on screen. "I think people want to build something up or have a lot of conflict and it's not there," he said. "Eric's a lot of fun and we have a good sense of humour about it all. There's no conflict."
Flashback: Kate Walsh
These days McSteamy might be wooing her, but the first time Kate Walsh made an impression as a television series love interest, her leading man was very different when she starred in The Drew Carey Show as Drew's girlfriend, Nicki Fifer. Not only was her beau less glamorous than now, so was her role. As Nicki, she struggled with her weight and for one scene wore a prosthetic "fat suit" to add 37 kilograms to her body.
Medical Misfit:
No matter how hated McSteamy gets for daring to throw a spanner in Cupid's works, Eric Dane can take heart that at least he doesn't share the fate of Miranda Bailey, played by Chandra Wilson. Despite Wilson's best efforts to make her character likeable, she's still known as "the nazi". "Personally I think Dr Bailey is completely misunderstood," Wilson said. "She is a wonderful human being and she cares about everybody at large - just not at work."