Eric Dane Fans Spot ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Easter Egg in ‘Euphoria’

Grey’s Anatomy fans couldn’t help but spot the latest Easter egg in a recent episode of Euphoria. Eric Dane (who many may remember as the medical drama’s Mark Sloane) plays Cal Jacobs on the HBO series. Season 2, Episode 3 focuses on his character’s backstory –– which involves a very close friend by the name of Derek. 

Dane starred in Grey’s for eight seasons between 2005-2012, not including his recent cameos. It didn’t take long for fans to notice the connection between young Cal and his romance with his friend and the McSteamy/McDreamy (Patrick Dempsey) bromance. 

“Maybe I’m just obsessed w greys anatomy but I think it’s funny that mark sloan is on euphoria and they named his best friend Derek,” one fan noted on Twitter. Another person tweeted, “SORRY TO MAKE EVERYTHING ABOUT GREYS ANATOMY BUT I JUST SCREAMED. CAL HAVING A BEST FRIEND CALLED DEREK AND CAL BEING PLAYED BY ERIC DANE???”

The actor spoke with Entertainment Weekly previously about the new role, expressing his excitement for Grey’s fans to continue watching his career. “It feels amazing to be back. I love being on set. I love working with these people,” the actor tells the outlet of the return after production was halted due to the pandemic. “A year and a half off, or however long it was, was hard on everybody, but it’s tough when you’ve more or less vacated your sense of purpose.”

On the episode in question, Dane admits he had an immense interest in telling his character’s complicated origin story. “I did want to get into Cal’s backstory. I knew that was eventually gonna come. I’m happy it came this season. I’ve been very happy with the material that I’ve been given and I love this character. You know, I certainly don’t want to offend any of the Grey’s fans, but as an actor, you want to be able to experience different characters, and I hope they come on the journey with me. I’m playing with extraordinary young actors and amazing material on a fearless network. That said, I’ve been tickled with all this great material I’ve gotten this year,” he said.