Eric Dane talks depression, The Last Ship filming hiatus

With The Last Ship season 4 getting set to premiere on TNT next month, Eric Dane is starting to make the promotional rounds. In the process of that, he is also sharing some of his thoughts publicly for the first time on his depression that led to him taking some time off during The Last Ship season 5 production.

In a new interview with The Today Show this morning (watch it below; quotes via Gossip Cop), the actor was fairly candid when it came to what he was battling, and also what he ended up doing in order to combat it in the end:

“I took some time off. I was dealing with some depression, which was kinda odd to me. I felt very conflicted about it because I didn’t really feel like I had anything to be depressed about. Now I take a medication called Pristique, which I thought just sounded like a good mood, and the depression’s gone.”

Dane also goes so far in the interview as to say that this was something completely different than anything that he’d ever tackled before in his life:

“I was seeing these doctors, thinking there was something physically wrong with me because I never felt like that … I mean, I dealt with depression throughout my life, but it was always manageable. I just felt like, you know, everyone kinda feels a little blue, but this just hit me like a truck. I had to take some time off. I went away, I took care of it, and I’m feeling great.”

This is great for Dane’s health and long-term future, given that he does have a way to move forward with a strong level of support that he didn’t have previously. Beyond that, this is also great on TNT for showing a wonderful commitment to the actor as he took the problem on, showing that they’re committed to helping others overcome mental illness. Dane is important to The Last Ship, but they understood that his health came first.

The show is now going to hopefully deliver a great story, one that absolutely should have some interesting twists and turns to it. For one, the setting is moving over to Greece and Europe, and while there you will have a chance to see a wide array of interesting developments. Chandler will be taking on some new and very-imposing enemies, but that is only after battling the enemy within, and the person who encouraged him to take off from the Nathan James at the end of season 3. He feels that he is not fit in order to properly lead the team anymore, and he will have to find that strength to prove even himself otherwise.

Want some further news on The Last Ship?

If you haven’t seen it yet, take a look at the link here to get our complete analysis of the recent season 4 trailer that debuted while at San Diego Comic-Con this week. (Photo: TNT.)