Eric Dane to Play Firefighter with ALS Nov. 24

Eric Dane, 52, who went public with an ALS diagnosis in April and has lost use of his right arm while beginning to use a wheelchair, will guest-star as Matthew — a firefighter grappling with an ALS diagnosis — on NBC’s Brilliant Minds (Season 2, Episode 9), which is set to air Nov. 24. The role pairs him with Zachary Quinto’s Dr. Oliver Wolf as the character struggles to tell his family and seek help, making the casting a striking instance of art reflecting Dane’s real-life condition. Despite rapid symptom progression and a recent fall, Dane says he intends to keep working, including returning to Euphoria. He has also been active in advocacy, meeting on Capitol Hill to push for reauthorization of the Accelerating Access to Critical Therapies (ACT) for ALS. Brilliant Minds, inspired by neurologist-author Oliver Sacks, will continue dramatizing complex neurological cases and features Dane’s episode alongside its ensemble.