Image Source: New York Post

Eric Dane who currently stars in HBO Max’s ‘Euphoria’ as Cal Jacobs has addressed the ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ reference and theory of the fans who are hoping to see Patrick Dempsey’s cameo on the show.

Season 2 Episode 2 of Euphoria focused on explaining the backstory of Cal Jacobs where the audience got to see how he was when he was in high school and what moment at that time went on to define Cal Jacobs today. What interested the fans was the introduction and mention of Cal’s best friend Derek.

The backstory started with the introduction of young Cal Jacobs who was portrayed by Elias Kacavas and his best friend Derek portrayed by Henry Eikenberry. The two of them were close and hung out almost all the time, one could see the sexual tension between the two of them but suddenly then the audience is introduced to young Marsha played by Rebecca Louise.

Cal and Marsha hit it off instantly and Derek also starts dating someone but Cal and Derek preferred to spend their time together with each other rather than their girlfriends. After getting graduated from high school, the two jocks sneak out for their celebration and end up at a gay bar, and after dancing and drinking the two end up kissing by the end of the night.

Young Cal Jacobs is portrayed by Elias Kacavas and his best friend Derek portrayed by Henry Eikenberry. Image Source: Cheat Sheet 

The next morning, a phone rings and Cal hopes it to be of Derek but it turns out Marsha’s who tells him that she is pregnant and the smile fades off his face. As a gentleman, Cal owns up to his responsibility, and probably Nate Jacobs played by Jacob Elordi is that kid. So, drawing contrast from his previous life to todays, Cal spends his time hooking up with strangers and thinking about how to end his life.

Now, if you’re wondering where is this Patrick Dempsey cameo thing coming from then if you remember Eric Dane played McSteamy aka Mark Sloan in ‘Grey’s Anatomy' and was best friends with Patrick Dempsey who played McDreamy aka Derek Shepherd on the show. So mentioning that Cal’s best friend Derek reminded the fans of Derek from Grey’s Anatomy who was also Mark’s best friend.

Patrick and Eric’s bromance on ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ was loved by the fans and when the storyline shifted and Mark Sloan was killed off after an airplane crash, people were devasted to see the two best friends going apart. So the mention of the name Derek brought many memories and a lot of theories for the fans and one of them is to bring Patrick Dempsey as present-day Derek on Euphoria.

Eric Dane as Mark Sloan and Patrick Dempsey as Derek Shepherd on 'Grey's Anatomy'. Image Source: Glamour UK

One fan wrote on Twitter, "Maybe I'm just obsessed w greys anatomy but I think it's funny that Mark Sloan is on euphoria and they named his best friend Derek.” Another one wrote, "SORRY TO MAKE EVERYTHING ABOUT GREYS ANATOMY BUT I JUST SCREAMED. CAL HAVING A BEST FRIEND CALLED DEREK AND CAL BEING PLAYED BY ERIC DANE???" The third user wrote, "cal's best friend's name being Derek though?! sam levinson knew what he was doing." And finally, "If Derek ever comes back to see Cal… I think we all know the perfect actor to play him as an adult."

Entertainment Weekly spoke to Eric Dane who feels grateful to be back on the set and shared, "It feels amazing to be back. I love being on set. I love working with these people. A year and a half off, or however long it was, was hard on everybody, but it's tough when you've more or less vacated your sense of purpose."

Eric Dane feels grateful to be back on set. Image Source: IMBD

Eric also mentioned that he had a keen interest in knowing the backstory of his character and why is he so complicated and uptight with his kid. He said, "I did want to get into Cal's backstory. I knew that was eventually going to come. I'm happy it came this season. I've been very happy with the material that I've been given and I love this character. You know, I certainly don't want to offend any of the Grey's fans, but as an actor, you want to be able to experience different characters, and I hope they come on the journey with me. I'm playing with extraordinary young actors and amazing material on a fearless network. That said, I've been tickled with all this great material I've gotten this year.”

Eric lastly added, "I don't think it excuses all of his behaviors. But I think it might add sort of a human element to Cal, whereas before you were having a tough time seeing that." Lastly during a recent interview with E! News, Eric mentioned that Sam Levinson using the name 'Derek' as Cal's best friend and possible love interest is 'purely coincidence', and it means nothing more. So no Grey's Anatomy and Euphoria crossovers.