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Eric Dane<\/strong><\/a> has found a new calling in his acting career amid his battle with ALS<\/a>.<\/p>\n Fresh from his moving guest-starring role on NBC\u2019s Brilliant Minds<\/em><\/a>, in which he played a firefighter with ALS, Dane, 53, said in the future, he will be pursuing roles that incorporate his real-life illness.<\/p>\n According to the Mayo Clinic<\/a>, ALS \u201cis a nervous system disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord,\u201d and causes loss of muscle control. Over time, people with the condition can experience muscle twitching, weakness in the arm or leg, trouble swallowing and\/or slurred speech.<\/p>\n \u201cI am fairly limited in what I can do physically as an actor, but I still have my brain and I still have my speech. So I am willing to do just about anything. I\u2019ll take on a role. But I think from here on out, it\u2019s going to have to be ALS-centric,\u201d the Grey\u2019s Anatomy<\/em> alum<\/a> said during a Tuesday, December 2, virtual panel discussion in collaboration with advocacy organization I AM ALS<\/a>, of which Dane is an ambassador.<\/p>\n The actor explained, \u201cIt\u2019s going to be very difficult for me to play any other role where \u2026 you know, look at the 800-pound gorilla in the room, and I\u2019m fine with that. I\u2019m grateful that I can still work in any capacity.\u201d<\/p>\n Dane played Matthew, a firefighter with ALS who struggles to share his diagnosis with his family, on the November 24 episode of Brilliant Minds<\/em>.<\/p>\n During Tuesday\u2019s panel, which also featured show creator Michael Grassi<\/strong> and writer\/consulting producer Dr. Daniela Lamas<\/strong>, Dane shared how his own diagnosis helped inform his role.<\/p>\n Dane said, \u201cMichael reached out to me, and we got on some calls and had some pretty in depth conversations that helped inform the story you wanted to tell and the hardest thing for me to do myself was to separate from the character because it was something that was so fresh, and it was something that was so real to me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve never played a character who\u2019s going through something and something I\u2019m dealing with in real time, in real life as well,\u201d Dane continued. \u201cSo it was hard and there were moments where it was very difficult for me to even get the lines out. But overall, I was really grateful for the experience. I found it to be a bit cathartic, and Michael and Daniela were so great and sort of shepherding along this tired old actor can barely speak and put me into a position for great success, and I\u2019m grateful for them for that.\u201d<\/p>\n