Did Eric Dane have ALS in Euphoria? How his symptoms were written into season 3
27 April 2026, 16:46
Eric Dane filmed his Euphoria season 3 scenes after his ALS diagnosis and Sam Levinson worked his symptoms into Cal Jacob's storyline.
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Euphoria season 3 includes one of Eric Dane's final ever on-screen performances following his tragic death earlier this year.
The beloved actor, who was also known for his role as Mark Sloan on Grey's Anatomy, sadly passed away in February after a courageous battle with ALS.
Prior to his death, and before his illness progressed, Eric was able to return as Cal Jacobs and film scenes for Euphoria. In interviews, he also spoke about how creator Sam Levinson adapted his ALS symptoms and worked them into Cal's storyline for the third season.
Sam has also now spoken about how he went about that process, how Eric reacted to it and praised the late actor for his work on the show.
Did Eric Dane have ALS while filming Euphoria? When did he film?
Here's how Euphoria included Eric Dane's ALS symptoms in Cal's storyline
In an interview with Extra, Sam Levinson shared that Eric called him and told him about his diagnosis before they had started shooting.
"We had a lot of conversations about just life and what that meant," he told the publication. "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.'"
Eric was diagnosed with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), which is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells, leading to muscle weakness. As the disease progresses, it begins to affect the movement of the limbs, speech (often sounding slurred), swallowing and eventually breathing.
As a result, Cal's storyline was adapted so that Eric's real life symptoms could be incorporated into the character.
"He showed up and I could tell he had a slight slur in his voice and he told me that," Sam 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."
Sam went on to praise Eric's work on the third season, particularly during the huge, lengthy scenes for Nate and Cassie's wedding.
"We’ve got 28 cast members on set, and he just showed up every day with such grace and dignity. He was a great human being."
In a separate interview with Extra prior to his passing, Eric also opened up about filming those scenes and shared his excitement about people getting to see his performance.
"I had to shoot the [wedding] reception, and it’s written that I’m wasted, sloshed-drunk, for this entire reception, and I was like, 'People are going to think I’m brilliant,'" he said, smiling. “Because I already sound like I’m drunk. I don’t need to act!"
Speaking to Variety ahead of season 3's release, Sam Levinson also shared that despite reassuring Eric that there was "no pressure" to return, he was determined to get back on set, saying: "I want to do this."
In December 2025, following his guest role on Brilliant Minds, Eric said he had no plans to stop acting and that he was "grateful that I can still work in any capacity."
When did Eric Dane film Euphoria season 3?
Euphoria season 3 filming began in April 2025, just two months after Eric publicly shared his ALS diagnosis. In a statement at the time, he said: "I feel fortunate that I am able to continue working and am looking forward to returning to set of Euphoria next week."
A few months later in June 2025, Eric gave another update to Extra revealing that he'd "shot one day" so far: "I can tell you that we are in production. That's all I know!"
Filming on season 3 wrapped in November 2025 but it's unclear how many episodes Eric actually filmed. So far, we've only seen Eric as Cal in two episodes.
Rest in peace Eric.
Read more about Euphoria here:
- Euphoria's Chloe Cherry weighs in on Cassie's controversial storyline in season 3
- Euphoria's Chloe Cherry explains how "disgusting" balloon scene with Zendaya was filmed
- Euphoria season 3 episode 1 horrifies viewers with “vile” Faye dog scene
- Barbie Ferreira explains why she quit Euphoria ahead of season 3
- Euphoria season 3 slammed over "disgusting" Sydney Sweeney baby scene in new teaser
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