In February, Eric Dane tragically died at 53 years old, less than a year after he shared his amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) diagnosis with the world.
After going public with his diagnosis in April 2025, Eric remained committed to raising awareness about ALS and continuing to act when he could. Fortunately, this meant he was able to complete filming for the long-awaited third season of Euphoria, in which he plays Cal Jacobs, the father of Jacob Elordi’s character, Nate.
If you’ve watched Seasons 1 and 2 of Euphoria, you’ll know that Cal has always been fairly central to the major plotlines. So, when he returned for Season 3 — which is set after a five-year time jump from Season 2 — writer and showrunner Sam Levinson said he worked directly with Eric to adjust the script to his condition.
“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,’” Sam told Extra after Eric’s passing, recalling how they accounted for the “slight slur” in his voice during shooting. “I said: ‘Don’t worry. We’ll just put, like, five beer bottles in front of you and you’ve been drinking all night.’ He was like: ‘Perfect, perfect.’ And his character… It was such a gift.”
Eric did not appear in the first episode of Season 3, which aired on April 12. However, Cal Jacobs made a comeback in Episode 2 last Sunday. If you’ve not watched it yet, I won’t spoil it for you. But if you’re intrigued, you can read this story about how Sam and the team accommodated for Eric while he was filming the show last year.
On top of this, HBO Max also released some accompanying behind-the-scenes footage from the second episode on YouTube. Eric gave an interview for the clip, saying that it felt “great” to be back on set after the show’s hiatus.
“I always enjoyed working on this show. It was a very stress-free environment for me. And we just kinda picked up where we left off,” he said, adding that his and Jacob’s characters “love each other because they’re so alike.”
So, speaking of Jacob, fans are particularly emotional about some new clips in the BTS footage showing Jacob and Eric embracing on set.
One X post with over 183,000 likes and 4.5 million views has zoomed in on Jacob’s face, drawing attention to the fact that he looks visibly emotional while giving Eric a hug. In the quotes and replies, people are devastated, saying, “his face god i’m crying my eyes out.”
Another user wrote, “i can’t imagine what this was like for them.”
Seeing Eric back on screen with Jacob sparked a mix of emotions among viewers last week. But, all in all, it’s beautiful that he was able to return to one of his most iconic roles.
Luckily, it seems like that’s not the last we’ll be seeing of Cal, as he looks set to have a dramatic reunion with Jules, Hunter Schafer’s character, later in the series.
You can watch the behind-the-scenes footage for Episode 3 here. Euphoria is available to watch on HBO and HBO Max.
