Men's Journal

The actor talks about his bike, his blues, and his unlikely best friend.

interviewed by Michael Slenske

Eric Dane, best known for his role as plastic surgeon Mark Sloan on TV’s Grey’s Anatomy (ask your girlfriend), also happens to be an active outdoorsman who loves to surf. This month he hits the big screen as Owen Wilson’s dog-loving sidekick in Marley & Me.

My Pal
My wife Rebecca [Gayheart]’s dog is a Maltese named Jackie, after Jackie Chan. I’m not quite sure if small dogs fit the bill of man’s best friend, but the dog has grown on me. She’s only been socialized with human beings, so I’m waiting for her to speak.

My Restaurant
There’s an unbelievable restaurant in San Francisco called Gary Danko. I love the duck, or whatever the chef is cooking that night.

My Music
I just added to my iPod a bunch of Hendrix songs from The Blues Album, when he started getting sick and tired of singing “Hey Joe” a million times. The only thing I have in my trailer is a picture of Jimi. It’s a sketch I got on the street in Vancouver. That’s probably worth about $15. I think I paid $20 for it. I love it.

My Watch
The only things I have on me every single day are my IWC Big Pilot’s watch, my BlackBerry, and my wedding ring around my neck. I have a lot of IWC watches. I love the design, and they keep perfect time.

My Roots
I have family in Alaska, and my uncle’s got a Cessna floatplane, so we fly into these great little lakes. There’s tons of bears, tons of fish. We go halibut fishing in Seward, salmon fishing on the Kenai Peninsula. When I was 12, I caught a 70-pound king salmon on the Kenai River.

My Ride
I like getting on my motorcycle and driving the Pacific Coast Highway or through the canyons in Malibu. I’ve got a Ducati Hypermotard. The origin of the design is a moto cross bike turned into a street bike. And the Ducati aesthetic looks great.

My Icon
Paul Newman. He was just so strong, vulnerable, and stoic. He had an overwhelming amount of sincerity and just skipped to his own beat. You can tell he had an unbelievable understanding of every character he ever played.

My Beverage
I love Orangina over ice. I just love that you can shake the shit out of it and it doesn’t blow up. It’s always in my fridge.

My Waves
I grew up in San Francisco surfing Ocean Beach, Steamer Lane in Santa Cruz, and Half Moon Bay. The water is cold, dark, and deep. I’ve got a couple of cousins who used to be professional surfers. I don’t get out there as much as those dudes do, but winter’s rolling in, and I don’t mind the cold.

This article originally appeared in the December 2008 issue of Men’s Journal.