Eric Dane wrote that he nearly came to blows with Josh Duhamel while filming a fight scene for the second season of Las Vegas. Dane, who appeared as Leo Broder opposite Duhamel’s Danny McCoy, said he had a herniated cervical disc and asked Duhamel not to pull his tie during the scene. Duhamel agreed, according to Dane’s account in his memoir.
Dane said Duhamel nevertheless pulled the tie on the first take, causing pain in his neck. After Duhamel apologized, the same thing happened again on the next take. Dane recalled warning the director to rein in Duhamel, who said he had become caught up in the moment.
On the third take, Dane wrote, Duhamel grabbed his tie again. Dane said he removed his jacket, challenged his co-star and approached him with clenched fists while the camera continued rolling. He later described his reaction as a regret, saying viewers could have seen him as the aggressor. Dane added that he and Duhamel had since seen each other and were on good terms, and apologized for not walking away.
Duhamel said in a September interview with In Depth with Graham Bensinger that his character was in a dark place that season after returning from Iraq, and that his method acting had frightened people, including himself. A representative for Duhamel did not immediately respond to Page Six’s request for comment, according to the report.
Dane also wrote about the medical issues that preceded his ALS diagnosis. After gradually losing use of his right hand, he was referred to specialists and underwent tests that led to a diagnosis of multifocal motor neuropathy, a rare autoimmune disorder that causes severe muscle weakness. He said treatment did not help and that he was ultimately diagnosed with ALS in 2024. Dane died in February after a public battle with the disease.
Sources: Page Six.