Shonda Rhimes has weighed in after Eric Dane was excluded from the Academy Awards.
During the Academy Awards show held on Sunday (March 15), some viewers took issue with the fact that the Grey’s Anatomy star was noticeably absent from the memorial segment. Stars who were part of the moving tribute include Rob and Michele Reiner, Diane Keaton and Robert Redford.
The Grey’s Anatomy writer is speaking out in defense of The Academy Awards’ decision.
“Well, he’s not a movie star, you know?” Rhimes told Entertainment Tonight. “And I feel like when the Emmys come around, he will be [immortalized] the way he should be.”
“We can’t fault the Oscars for the fact that they’re looking at movies,” she continued. “And there were so many people who were lost, but Eric was unique to television and I can’t wait to see what they do with him [at the Emmys].”
Though he wasn’t a part of the on-air Oscars tribute, Eric is included in the Academy’s online In Memoriam page.
“He was a huge loss for us”
Rhimes also reflected on her personal relations with the late father of two.
“Eric is—was an incredible human being,” the show’s creator said. “And I still say ‘is’ because it’s very hard for me to believe he’s gone.”
She continued, “He was a huge loss for us. He was a huge loss for the Shondaland family, for the Grey’s Anatomy family, and honestly the people that he knew. He was just a wonderful, wonderful giving guy. And I don’t think everybody understands how amazing he was.”
Dane is be best known for playing Dr. Mark Sloan, aka McSteamy, on Grey’s Anatomy. He currently has 19 movie credits to his name, including 2006′s X-Men: The Last Stand, 2008′s Marley & Me, 2010′s Valentine’s Day, and 2024′s Bad Boys: Ride or Die.
Last month, Eric Dane passed away at the age of 53 from respiratory failure amid his battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).