Kate Walsh talks to Fox News Digital about why she returned to "Grey's Anatomy" and Ellen Pompeo's departure from the medical drama. There's a "McSteamy" answer to why Eric Dane left the hit series " Grey's Anatomy " in dramatic fashion in 2012. The actor, who played the beloved plastic surgeon Dr.
Mark "McSteamy" Sloan, says when he booked the hit ABC show fronted by Patrick Dempsey and Ellen Pompeo , he'd been "sober for three or four years." "So I had my wits about me and I sort of knew what reality was and what reality wasn't," he shared on the " Armchair Expert " podcast with actor Dax Shepard. "And I was able to differentiate between the two.
And I was able to sort of conceptualize what that was, keep it in its place, enjoy it, dip in every now and again and come back." 'GREY'S ANATOMY' STAR ERIC DANE ENTERS REHAB FOR PAINKILLER ADDICTION Eric Dane was first introduced on "Grey's Anatomy" as Dr. Mark Sloan in season two.
He became a series regular in season three. (Bob DAmico/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images) "I think the net-net is I didn't really handle it very well," the actor, now 51, shared. "Because if you take the whole eight years on ‘Grey’s Anatomy,' I was f---ed up longer than I was sober.
And that's when things started going sideways for me." Dane joined the show as a series regular in season three after his character generated buzz in a sizzling towel scene in the second season. Eric Dane made his debut in season two, wearing nothing.
