Eric Dane Celebrates Mark and Lexie, Reuniting With Ellen Pompeo and More After ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Return

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Eric Dane Celebrates Mark and Lexie, Reuniting With Ellen Pompeo and More After 'Grey's Anatomy' Return

Move over McDreamy, McSteamy is back! After making a surprise appearance during the Thursday, April 1, episode of Grey’s Anatomy, Eric Dane revealed behind-the-scenes secrets of his reunions with Ellen Pompeo and Chyler Leigh. As Pompeo’s Meredith Grey remained on a ventilator during her battle with coronavirus on season 17 of the medical drama, she’s been visited by her fallen family and friends. After Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey) and George O’Malley (T.R. Knight) stopped by, Meredith’s sister Lexie Grey (Leigh) and Mark Sloan (Dane) paid her a visit. During Thursday’s episode, the former onscreen couple, who died after a plane crash in the season 8 finale in 2012, helped Meredith wake up. “Mark Sloan and Lexie Grey are embedded in the DNA of that show, and also literally, Lexie and Meredith share the same DNA,” Dane, 48, told Deadline after Thursday’s episode aired. “So, I think there’s a connectivity there and reminding her that, gone but not forgotten, we’re always around if you need us, and it’s too early for you to stay on the beach.” Dane first appeared on Grey’s Anatomy during season 2 in 2006. After recurring during the rest of the season, he was promoted to a series regular during season 3. The actor remained on the series until the season 9 premiere when Sloan died following injuries he sustained in the crash. “At its core, it’s just a great show. People connect with the characters on that show. It seemed to have found a whole new generation of viewership,” Dane told Deadline about Grey’s Anatomy’s continued success. “Shows typically will grow up with a generation, an audience, and eventually that audience will either outgrow that show or move onto something else. But with Grey’s, there’s always been an alchemy in that cast, a dynamic, a chemistry which keeps people showing up. The writing’s good. Krista [Vernoff], Shonda [Rhimes], Betsy [Beers] and now Debbie Allen’s exec producing the show. They’re so good at understanding the tone of that show and finding characters that people will invest in, and what that translates to is season 17.” [jwplayer Kr3M3MH1-l3ahXupL] While Dane filmed with Pompeo in person, Leigh, who was filming Supergirl in Canada, appeared via a green screen for Thursday’s episode. “Chyler was in Vancouver. So, we had to work some magic,” the Euphoria star said. “Chyler could get here but then she couldn’t get back to Canada. There was some green screen. There was a lot of me and Ellen. And Ellen an eye line. … [But] 2,000 miles of distance between us is not going to [take away] the chemistry that happens onscreen between [me and Chyler]. I know who I’m talking to, she knows who she’s talking to. And that translates.” Grey’s Anatomy airs on ABC Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET. Scroll through for the biggest takeaways from Dane’s Q&A:

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His Initial Reaction to Coming Back

“I mean, if you’re ever going to bring Mark Sloan back, I guess with Meredith in a coma, it’s a good way for her to see him,” he said. “So, it wasn’t a tough sell, and it made sense.”

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On Mark and Lexie Being Endgame in the Afterlife

As one of the most beloved couples in the show’s history, fans were devastated that Mark and Lexie spent most of season 8 on the outs before their deaths.

“Mark and Lexie are together forever [in the afterlife],” he said. “Mark would’ve found Lexie. He would’ve found her eventually."

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Reuniting With Ellen Pompeo …

“It was like I’d never left,” Dane said of filming the ABC series again. “It was a great day at the beach. It was great to see some of the familiar faces and same crew members, and we didn’t skip a beat. I love those people. I spent a significant portion of my life with those people, I’d do just about anything for them.”

After the episode aired, Dane shared a selfie with Pompeo from the episode.

“It was so great to be back with my people. Felt like I’d never left…” he wrote.

The actress replied, "Such a fun day! Love you a lot Eric Dane😘🙏🏻."

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… And What They Spoke About on Set

In-between takes, Dane noted that he and Pompeo spoke about “masks, COVID” and their kids.

“I haven’t seen Chyler in a while, but Ellen I stay in contact with, and just, how are the kids? Kids are good. Small talk,” he said. “There wasn’t a lot of time in-between takes because of the protocols and how we had to set it up. So, once we got going, it was almost like a runaway train.”

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Getting Back into Character

“I mean, look, I created Mark Sloan,” he said. “It was not that difficult for me to get back into character.”

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A ‘Euphoria’ Tease

Following his departure from Grey’s to be on The Last Ship, Dane landed a role as Cal Jacobs on HBO’s racy series Euphoria. He told Deadline that he starts filming season 2 in mid-April.

“I think I don’t start shooting for a couple weeks, but we are. I’m sure we’re going to get this out as soon as we can. We’ve set a pretty high bar,” he teased. “I’m very proud of that show, everybody involved is very proud of that show.”