First of Eric Dane's final Euphoria scenes features heartbreaking subtle detail about ALS diagnosis
Warning: This article includes spoilers for Euphoria season three episode two
Eric Dane has made his first posthumous appearance in Euphoria season three - and it includes a subtle nod to his ALS diagnosis.
The second episode of the Emmy-winning HBO show's latest season dropped on Sunday (19 April) in the US, and the early hours of Monday in the UK.
Starring Zendaya, Sydney Sweeney, Alexa Demie, Hunter Schafer, and Jacob Elordi, the story picks up after a five-year time jump, seeing the characters in early adulthood after a drama-filled high school experience.
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The first episode included a tribute to three members of the Euphoria cast and crew who have passed away: Angus Cloud, who died aged 25 of an accidental drug overdose; producer Kevin Turen, who died aged 44 of heart disease; and Dane, who tragically died aged 53 in February following a diagnosis of ALS last year.
He has played the role of Nate's (Jacob Elordi's) strict and demanding dad, Cal Jacobs, for the show's entirety.
Production began in 2025, and the actor's role in Euphoria's third season heartbreakingly marks his last ever onscreen appearance.
In the episode, Cal visits Nate (Elordi) to see how he's getting on running his real estate business, with the first thing he asks his son being: "You got anything to drink?"
We learn how the last five years have been 'humiliating' for the character, who 'went from being the town's top real estate developer to a broke sexual deviant who narrowly avoided prison'.
In the previous season, we saw how his character's double life was exposed. The married businessman experienced a major breakdown and got arrested after it was discovered he'd been secretly recording his sexual encounters with men and transgender women - including Nate's classmate Jules (Schafer).
Cal's episode two appearance sees him tell Nate that he goes to a support group for sex and love addicts, while asking about his son's complicated relationship with fiancée Cassie after she starts OnlyFans.
But there was one subtle detail that creator Sam Levinson included to help Dane feel comfortable on his set following his diagnosis.
For context, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a type of motor neuron disease that causes progressive, incurable degeneration of motor nerves.
And one of the common symptoms is slurred speech, which is something that Dane was struggling with when he returned to the set to start filming.
So, in an effort to ease his worries about delivering his lines, creator Sam Levinson opted to have his character surrounded by beer bottles so he appears drunk.
In the scene where he's chatting to Nate, five empty bottles of Stella Artois are placed subtly on the counter in front of him.
Talking about the decision, in a recent interview with Extra, Levinson recalled: "Eric called me before we started shooting and told me that he had been diagnosed with ALS.
"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'."
The creator added: "He showed up, and I could tell he had a slight slur in his voice, and I said, ‘Don’t worry. We’ll just put five beer bottles in front of you and [your character has] been drinking all night', and he said, 'Perfect, Perfect'."
“He just showed up every day with such grace and dignity. He was a great human being,” Levinson added.
And Dane certainly didn't let his diagnosis hold him back on the show as he continued to put on the most Cal Jacobs-esque performance ever.
At one point, his character tells Nate: "Once you give in to temptation, it knows no limits. I'm speaking from experience. I didn't start by having sex with men. My first affair was with a very sexy woman.
"I was chasing pleasure instead of being grateful for what I had at home."
As for how Cal's storyline will conclude, we'll have to wait for the coming episodes...
Topics: Euphoria, Celebrity, Entertainment, TV And Film, Health
Madison Burgess