‘Euphoria’ star Eric Dane was ‘very pleased’ with how Cal developed in Season 2 [Exclusive Video Interview]
“Euphoria” star Eric Dane always figured his character, Cal Jacobs, would receive some kind of additional backstory on the hit HBO series. The show, written and directed by creator Sam Levinson, frequently uses the opening moments of each episode to contextualize the motivations of its main players, most of whom are struggling with addiction or past trauma. But even Dane didn’t expect Cal – a villainous figure in Season 1, who lives a double life as he hides his homosexuality from his family to violent and criminal results – to be treated with such compassion.
“The first four episodes I read I was obviously very happy with – and specifically episode four,” Dane tells Gold Derby in a new interview. In episode four, “You Who Cannot See, Think of Those Who Can,” Cal gets drunk at the same bar he visited as a teenager with his best friend, Derek – their relationship, which was cut short at the end of high school after Cal’s girlfriend reveals she’s pregnant, was a focal point in episode three – and returns home to his family. He proceeds to relieve himself on the floor of the home’s entryway before coming out to his shocked wife and sons.
“I thought, ‘Well, this is going to either come off two ways. People are either gonna think they hate me even more, or they’re gonna see some humanity to this character, and they’re gonna be able to identify with them a little bit,’” Dane says of the showcase scene. “I think the latter is what happened, which I’m very pleased with.”
The monologue – which occurs while Cal’s penis remains out (Dane used a prosthetic) – is funny, heartbreaking, and extremely barbed. At one point, Cal tells his son Nate (Jacob Elordi) that he is Cal’s biggest disappointment.
“It was really well done. The writing was terrific. So I had a good jumping point,” Dane says of how he approached the scene. “As an actor, you always want to create some level of truth to the work. I felt like all I have to do is just make this as true as I possibly can. When somebody is speaking their truth, it’s very difficult to be mad at them. … There’s not much pushback you can generate when somebody is sitting there in front of you and telling you exactly what’s going on with them. So what I tried to do is I tried to make it as sincere as possible. And I think that characteristic is lost on a lot of people. But for me, one of the superpowers an actor can have is sincerity.”
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Dane has worked in film and television for years – he’s perhaps best known for his successful run on “Grey’s Anatomy” as Mark Sloan. But performing a complex monologue while wearing a prosthetic penis was new for him as an actor.
“It really worked for the scene. Letting it all hang out – we’re giving a whole new meaning to that,” he says with a laugh. “I don’t recommend anybody try it. But if you find yourself in those circumstances, and you’re having a moment with your family and your penis is out, you’ll find that it’s also incredibly freeing.”
“Euphoria” was a smash hit for HBO this winter – it stands as the second most-watched show on the channel since 2004 after “Game of Thrones” – and will return for a Season 3 in the future. What will happen to Cal remains unclear, but Season 2 ended with the Jacobs family patriarch arrested for his various crimes – including solicitation, filming sex partners without their consent, and statutory rape. Dane says he doesn’t know where Levinson will go with Cal when the series returns, but he does have one request.
“I can tell you what I hope doesn’t happen. I hope that I don’t play half of Season 3 behind glass talking to Nate through a phone,” Dane says. “But I’m sure whatever it is, Sam will figure it out. It would be super interesting. And I’m all on board for whatever.”
“Euphoria” is streaming now on HBO Max. Dane is a contender in the Best Drama Supporting Actor category at this year’s Emmy Awards.
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