Euphoria’s Eric Dane weighs in on heartbreaking queer twist and epic rimming scene
Euphoria star Eric Dane says Cal’s tragic queer backstory proves that everyone is “sweet at some point in their life”. (YouTube/Nova/Instagram/@eliaskacavas/HBO)
Eric Dane was “happy” to see Euphoria exploring Cal Jacobs’s emotional backstory, including his queer romance with his best friend.
This week, Euphoria fans were introduced to young Cal (Elias Kacavas), as a tender flashback sequence explained how, as a high schooler, he fell in love with his best friend, Derek (Henry Eikenberry).
Their love story ended in heartbreak, as the morning after they gave into their feelings and shared a kiss, Cal’s girlfriend Marsha called to say she was pregnant.
Fans were torn between feeling sorry for young Cal and hating on old Cal, who spent last week threatening just about everybody he came into contact with.
Eric Dane, who plays adult Cal, told EW he was thrilled to see his character painted in a more sympathetic light.
“Everybody starts out sweet at some point in their life, right?” Dane said. But I thought that the way they handled it was pretty deft.”
Of the actor who played young Cal, Elias Kacavas, Dane said: “He was just fantastic. And you knew there had to be some sort of cause or condition that was placed on Cal for him to turn out the way he turned out, which is this horribly complicated, terrifically conflicted, and confused person who’s trying to figure out his journey, at however old he is, and start living his truth.”
“He’s been living a lie his entire life,” Dane added. “The only thing you can say really bad about [young] Cal is his timing was a little bad.”
Eric said he believes Cal and Derek didn’t see each other again after high school, and that Cal “completely blocked out everything from that part of his life”.
“He completely ignored it and did so for years, and what happens is that if you don’t listen to your body, eventually it’s gonna have its way with you,” he said.
Perhaps that’s why Nate saw Cal rimming a guy in a dream sequence in episode two.
Of filming the rimming scene, Dane said: “We had a good laugh about it, which was nice.”
Young Cal and Derek kiss as they dance together in a dimly-lit gay bar. (YouTube/Movie & Show Clips/HBO)
The Grey’s Anatomy alum was also asked if a grow-up version of Derek will appear in future episodes of Euphoria.
Dane admitted that he never considered it as a possibility but said it would certainly be an “interesting” direction for the show. He also said that Brad Pitt would be his pick to play the older Derek.
“Let’s throw an offer out there and see if he bites,” he said.
