What started as almost a fistfight turned into one of the most unexpected friendships in Hollywood.
Speaking at the New Orleans Book Festival, Dax Shepard did not sugarcoat his first impression of Eric Dane.
“Eric Dane, I can now say I met in recovery and we hated each other. I hated him!” Shepard admitted. “I thought he was a bit of a bully… I said, ‘Let’s go. Outside. Right now.’ It was on.”
Yes, outside an AA meeting.
Cooler heads eventually prevailed, and no punches were thrown. But what happened next? That’s where the story flips.
“God bless both of us. We kept coming back,” Shepard said, explaining how repeated meetings slowly chipped away at the tension. Over time, curiosity replaced judgment.
Then came the moment that changed everything.
“His father shot himself in his house when he was a little boy…” Shepard shared, revealing the trauma that shaped Dane’s life. “So that little boy held onto that.”
Suddenly, it clicked.
“I can’t believe I’m gonna say this, but that’s one of my favourite shares I’ve ever heard,” Shepard recalled telling him. Not long after, Dane responded in kind: “I can’t believe I’m gonna say this, but I think I’ve come to fall in love with Dax.”
And just like that, the almost-fight turned into real friendship.
The two bonded over addiction, masculinity, and growing up without fathers – conversations that ran deep and often took place at Dane’s home.
Dane, best known for Grey’s Anatomy and Euphoria, passed away in February at 53 after battling ALS.
“For a person who was so hellbent on being hyper-masculine… I found [this] to be the bravest thing he’d done,” Shepard said.
From “let’s fight” to “I love you.” Not your typical Hollywood arc.
