Thomas Doherty Says Working with Eric Dane on One of His Final Roles Was 'Incredibly Impactful'

The film, 'Family Secrets,' is one of the final projects Dane filmed before his death in February 2026 at age 53

NEED TO KNOW

• Thomas Doherty is opening up about working with Eric Dane on one of his last onscreen roles before his death in February

• The film, Family Secrets, is one of the final projects Dane filmed before his death in February 2026 at age 53
• The film follows a young man, played by Tyriq Withers, as he infiltrates a wedding to seek revenge on a family patriarch, played by Dane

Thomas Doherty is opening up about working with Eric Dane on one of his last onscreen roles before his death in February.

The Paradise star spoke about meeting Dane and working with him on the upcoming thriller film Family Secrets in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter published on Friday, June 5. According to Doherty, the opportunity came at "quite a difficult time" in his personal life.

"Eric, not really knowing me, saw that," Doherty, 31, shared. "And I went to dinner with him a few times and he was hugely instrumental in getting me from a certain place in my life to where I am now. I’m not going to pretend that we were like best guys or whatever, but we were in Serbia shooting this movie and he would take me for dinner and talk to me and stuff, and it was really incredibly impactful on where I am now."

"He was kind of the first person that started me on this journey to get me to a happier, more content place in my life," the actor continued. "And I’ll forever be grateful for that. And he’s really funny as well. It’s a real heartbreak."

The Grey's Anatomy and Euphoria actor, 53 — who announced that he'd been diagnosed with ALS in April 2025 — died of respiratory failure in February 2026.

Family Secrets came as one of his final film and TV projects. Dane starred in the film alongside Doherty, Tyriq Withers, Maia Mitchell and Hannah Dodd, Deadline reported in late 2023.

According to an official synopsis, Withers stars as a "charming young man" who travels to a destination wedding to exact revenge on the family's patriarch (Dane) by seducing his affluent goddaughter, played by Mitchell, and befriending the groom-to-be, played by Doherty.

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"As their relationship gets steamier, the truth gets closer to the surface, forcing the question of whether anyone is safe… and who is conning who?" the synopsis reads.

A release date for Family Secrets has yet to be announced.

Dane's first posthumous TV appearance came in April, when his Euphoria character Cal was featured in the second episode of the HBO series' third and final season.

When the Grey’s Anatomy alum revealed his ALS diagnosis to PEOPLE in 2025, he highlighted his plans to appear in Euphoria’s third season. “I feel fortunate that I am able to continue working and am looking forward to returning to the set of Euphoria next week,” he said at the time. 

Euphoria creator Sam Levinson revealed in a recent interview with Extra that Dane "called me before we started shooting and told me that he had been diagnosed with ALS." Levinson then made adjustments to his character's storyline.

“We had a lot of conversations about just life and what that meant. 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,'" Levinson, 41, said.

Dane is survived by his wife, Rebecca Gayheart, and their two children, Billie Beatrice, 15, and Georgia Geraldine, 13.

Before his death, Dane recorded an emotional final message for Billie and Georgia as part of Netflix's Famous Last Words series. The interview was conducted in secret and released posthumously.

"Billie and Georgia, these words are for you," the star began. "I tried. I stumbled sometimes, but I tried. Overall, we had a blast, didn't we?"

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