Alexander Billings, a trans activist, is remembering Eric Dane, his co-star in Grey’s Anatomy, where he had guest-starred in season three.
In a video on Instagram, she recalls her character was transitioning and suffering from a breast cancer diagnosis.
“I got the role on Grey’s Anatomy, which was shocking to me. I hadn’t done a lot of television, and I was floored. This was 2006”, she shared.
“Now, 20 years ago, the landscape for transgender performers in Hollywood was the Sahara Desert; it was nonexistent,” Billings said, adding, “‘Did a trans person write this?’ Because the character was so honest and so true.”
During the shooting, the actress recounts she had a monologue but was “terrified” and “nervous”. Amidst this, Eric, who was playing Dr Mark Sloan, supported her fully.
“I meet Eric, who is lovely, and we do our first scene together,” the activist noted, adding, “The first scene is Eric and my character, Donna, explaining to Ellen [Pompeo], and he’s misgendering me a little bit, and we have this great little back-and-forth scene.” We do it a couple of times, and the director says, ‘Cut.’
Facing difficulty in the scene, Billings recalls Dane approaching her and asking about his real-life experience transitioning in the 1980s – when the support for transgenders was low.
After the story, everything changed.
“We start the scene again, and as we are talking, Eric puts his hand on my shoulder, and then we do another take, and Eric puts his hand right on my thigh or my knee,” Billings remembers Dane’s demeanour changed in the scene.
“And then at the end of the scene, he takes my hand — this isn’t in the script — he holds my hand, and I put my hand on top of his.”
Billings shared that though these gestures may sound a little, at the time it changed everything for her.
“I know how mundane this sounds, but back then, it changed everything for me. This compassionate, kind, brave human being changed everything for me.”
Dane passed away after suffering from ALS on Feb 20. He was 53.
