Eric Dane told Aaron Lazar about his ALS battle months before he went public with his health crisis.
Eric Dane confided in Aaron Lazar about his ALS diagnosis
The Grey’s Anatomy star revealed in April that he is battling ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) – also known as motor neurone disease – and now fellow actor Aaron – who also has ALS – has revealed Eric confided in him about his illness while they filming new Amazon thriller series Countdown together.
Broadway star Aaron told Variety: “When I met Eric and he shook my hand, I could see and feel something was off.
“I asked him what was going on. Eric said to me: ‘I think I have what you have’.”
Aaron filmed a guest spot in the show alongside regular castmember Eric and he revealed the team behind the scenes were incredibly supportive.
He told the publication: “I was in a wheelchair and I was so nervous they weren’t going to be able to dress me in my suits.
“But it turns out they knew exactly what to do because they had already been working with Eric and what he had been going through.”
Aaron was diagnosed with ALS in 2022 and went public with his health battle two years later.
When his guest spot on Countdown was announced, Aaron praised Amazon for their “boldness” in casting him. In a post on Instagram, he wrote: “On June 25, Amazon’s new thriller series The Countdown premiered, and spoiler alert, this season features two actors with ALS. A first in television history?
“I don’t know. But I am honored to be a part of it. Thank you @realericdane you’re a bad***.
“Thank you to Amazon, the producers and creators. Your boldness in casting disability friendly is appreciated more than you know … “
Eric was recently due to make a public appearance at the Emmy Awards to hand out one of the prizes with his former Grey’s Anatomy co-star Jesse Williams, but he ended up skipping the event after taking a tumble at home.
Explaining his absence from the event, Eric told the Washington Post newspaper: “ALS is a nasty disease. “So I was in the hospital during the Emmys getting stitches put in my head.
“I missed an opportunity I was really looking forward to. It would have been great to see Jesse and get reunited with some of my peers, and to be able to present in front of my colleagues I thought would have a been special moment.
“I was a really upset about it, but you know, there was nothing I could do about it.”
After going public with his diagnosis in April, Eric admitted he felt he “had” to be open about his condition to avoid speculation and he’s been blown away by the level of “love and support” he has received.
He said: “It wasn’t something I ever really wanted to do. It was something I felt like I had to do.
“It was getting increasingly difficult to hide what was going on. And instead of letting people speculate what was happening, I just said it. … And I’ve never experienced a bigger outpouring of love and support than I have after I announced that.”
