Eric Dane on 'Euphoria' Characters Double Life
In the first season of Sam Levinson’s ensemble teen drama Euphoria, Eric Dane‘s Cal Jacobs is introduced in an aggressive hookup scene with Jules (Hunter Schafer), an encounter that his character secretly filmed. “We created an environment that was safe for us to explore such a violent and aggressive act and feel at ease with it,” Dane recalls. This season sees Cal on a quest to retrieve the stolen footage of his secret sexual encounters — which leads him into an alcohol-fueled mania.
The prospect of his unearthed sexuality prompts reverie: One episode opens with flashbacks to Cal’s high school years and the budding romance he had with his best friend, Derek, cut short by the news that Cal’s girlfriend (and, later, wife) is pregnant. “It was helpful to see the chemistry that young Cal and Derek had,” says Dane. “It was really a heartbreaking moment for them. And it’s equally as heartbreaking when Cal returns to the bar and is not accepted by the community. He’s a man without a nation. He’s no longer accepted by the straight community and not accepted by the gay community.”
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Dane refers to the bender Cal embarks on when taking a trip down memory lane, revisiting the old bar where he and Derek shared one kiss before a life of heteronormativity was thrust upon him. After being kicked out for belligerence, Cal heads home, where he urinates in his foyer and, penis still hanging out of his pants, delivers a shocking monologue to his family in which he comes out of the closet — and unearths secrets his family has been hiding.
“Cal is living this double life, holding up this facade of having everything on the outside, controlled and pristine, while everything on the inside is a battle of epic proportions,” Dane says. “I’ve had struggles in my past that invited me to lead that life of secrecy. I accepted the invitation wholeheartedly. … While the circumstances specifically might not be the same, the feelings certainly are.”
Before Euphoria, Dane was best known for playing the towel-clad sex symbol “McSteamy” on Grey’s Anatomy. Cal Jacobs definitely presents Dane with a more complicated character to inhabit, though one celebrated as an icon by a new set of viewers. “I’m acutely aware that I’m a straight actor playing a gay character,” Dane reflects. “The gay community has been super supportive. I think I’ve lent them a voice in portraying this character, and I hope that everything I do is sincere because I wouldn’t want to misrepresent something that’s so important.”
This story first appeared in a June stand-alone issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.
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