One Grey's Anatomy Death Scene Felt The Worst For Eric Dane
When it comes to drama, Grey's Anatomy has no equal, as Shonda Rhimes definitely knows how to bring tears and break hearts.
The show has featured so many tragic moments that some viewers have to hug themselves before tuning in each week.
But at the same time, every devastating scene is balanced out by more heartwarming and beautiful moments, and the audience love the medical drama for this approach — as well as its relatable characters, genuine emotions, and storylines that are often on the edge of sanity.
It may seem that Grey's Anatomy has done it all, from a bomb inside a patient to a lion on the loose in a city. As shocking and compelling as these storylines may be to viewers, they can be a real challenge for actors on the set. Eric Dane, who played Dr. Mark Sloan aka McSteamy from season two to nine, knows exactly which scene was the most difficult to shoot.
When Dane was asked this question during a Reddit AMA, he didn't miss a beat in naming the devastating scene of Lexie Grey's death. It happened in the season eight finale when a plane with a group of Seattle Grace doctors crashed in the wilderness, and Lexie got seriously injured. Dane's character Mark, who was in love with Lexie, tried to help, but she died at his hands.
For many fans, it was the show's most tragic death. It was unexpected, heart-wrenching, and hard to watch. Lexie was a beloved character, and her romantic relationship with Mark was especially admired by viewers.
But according to Eric Dane, that scene was so difficult for the actors not only because of its tragic content but because of the difficult shooting conditions.
In a post on Reddit, the actor explained that, because the scene was filmed in a real forest, the set was cold and muddy. It was 35 degrees Fahrenheit, and he and his co-star Chyler Leigh had to spend the entire shoot on the ground as Lexie was trapped underneath the wreckage.
Perhaps it was because of these harsh conditions that Dane and Leigh gave such a top-notch performance in the scene. Even though 11 seasons have passed since the plane crash, fans still cite it in social media discussions as the scene that felt the most devastating, especially since it triggered the events that led to Mark's own death in season nine.