"Brilliant Minds" guest star Eric Dane got '10minute standing ovation' for powerful role as firefighter battling ALS Raechal ShewfeltNovember 25, 2025 at 3:12 AM 0 Pief Weyman/NBC Eric Dane plays Matthew Ramati in 'Brilliant Minds' Eric Dane certainly left an impression on the cast and crew of Brilliant Minds. They were so affected that they jumped to their feet, Creator Michael Grassi explained during an interview with USA Today.
- - "Brilliant Minds" guest star Eric Dane got '10-minute standing ovation' for powerful role as firefighter battling ALS
Raechal ShewfeltNovember 25, 2025 at 3:12 AM
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Pief Weyman/NBC
Eric Dane plays Matthew Ramati in 'Brilliant Minds'
Eric Dane certainly left an impression on the cast and crew of Brilliant Minds.
They were so affected that they jumped to their feet, Creator Michael Grassi explained during an interview with USA Today.
"I have never seen this happen in my entire career, but he essentially got a 10-minute standing ovation after shooting that scene," Grassi said of a scene in which Dane's Matthew Rimati, a firefighter coming to terms with how to share his ALS diagnosis with his family. "Because it was so beautiful and so honest and so real."
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Dane, 53, revealed in April that he had been diagnosed with ALS and has spoken publicly about some of the effects he's suffered. In June, the former star of Grey's Anatomy and Euphoria said he had just one functioning arm, but he's also said that he's determined to continue acting.
So it's very personal for him to play Rimati on the medical drama starring Zachary Quinto.
"While [Dane's] character's finding bravery, there's a lot of bravery in Eric to tell the story as well," Grassi said. "To come out and share this part of yourself is vulnerable but also really important, and I think raises awareness and shows people that they're not alone."
It was actually Dane's team who reached out about the appearance, said Grassi, who was reckoning with one of his own family members having a health problem at the time. The men spoke about what that stress does to a family, and they made that issue part of the episode.
"There's no rule book," Grassi said. "There's no right way or wrong way to do it. And in our conversations, something that he was dealing with very much in real time, and I was dealing with in my life, and a lot of people deal with every day is: How do you navigate, how do you communicate, and how do you accept help?"
Dane married actress Rebecca Gayheart in 2004. While she filed for divorce in 2018, she dismissed the filing in March. They share two daughters: 15-year-old Billie and 13-year-old Georgia.
Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty
Georgia Dane, Eric Dane, and Billie Dane attend a movie premiere in 2024
Dane's turn on Brilliant Minds is one more thing he's doing to secure federal funding for research on the disease — officially called amyotrophic lateral sclerosis — which affects cells in the brain and spinal cord. It causes the loss of muscle control and, eventually, paralyzes patients, including their breathing, speaking, and moving, according to the Mayo Clinic. There is no cure.
In September, Dane himself said during a meeting with California Congressman Eric Swalwell that he wasn't giving up.
"I have two daughters at home," Dane explained. "I wanna see them graduate college, get married, maybe have [my] grandkids."
Brilliant Minds airs Mondays at 10 p.m. ET/PT on NBC and the next day on Peacock.
on Entertainment Weekly
Source: "AOL Entertainment"
Source: Entertainment
Published: November 25, 2025 at 06:45AM on Source: MARIO MAG
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