Eric Dane on ‘Buoyant’ Spirit Amid ALS Battle: ‘I Got a Pretty Good Life’ (Exclusive)

Eric Dane and Jensen Ackles are dishing on their new crime drama “Countdown.”

“Extra’s” Terri Seymour sat down with the two just months after Eric bravely revealed his ALS diagnosis, and days after he spoke out in his first TV interview with Diane Sawyer.

Eric opened up about how he’s staying strong, saying, “I don’t know. You know, I would have thought that I would have been kind of the hide-under-the-sheets kind of person, but that’s not been the case. My attitude and spirit have been pretty buoyant, so I’m just kind of riding it. You know, not every day is great, but the net net is I got a pretty good life.”  

When asked about the love and support from his cast and friends, Dane said, “It means everything. I have never experienced such an outpouring of love and support than I have over the past couple months. It’s been beautiful.”

Showing his appreciation for his doctor, Eric shared, “Well, she’s been very proactive. A lot of doctoring when it comes to ALS is just monitoring somebody’s decline and [Dr. Merit Cudkowicz] is very proactive in looking for solutions and staying in the solution.”

Ackles chimed in, "He's a fight not a flight kinda guy, and it's been a joy to get to know him and watch him be so strong."

In “Countdown,” Ackles plays Mark Meacham, an LAPD officer who joins a secret task force to investigate a suspicious murder but uncovers a sinister plot that requires the team to unite and save millions in the city.

Dane plays Special Agent in Charge Nathan Blythe, who he describes as very “earnest” and “decisive and unapologetic.”

Dane said Blythe is “determined and singularly focused on solving this case, like laser focus, which I think sort of presents in a buttoned-up kind of package.”

Ackles discussed ad-libbing lines for his character, saying, “Derek [Haas] was always encouraging me to, you know, we’d get one scripted, we’d get a few takes scripted, and then he would encourage me to, you know, come up with some alts and so then I kind of took it upon myself to… always have like three or four… just locked and loaded, ready to go, just in case… Sometimes they hit… Sometimes Derek would laugh back at the monitors and ruin the tape because he was laughing.”

The series is shot in Los Angeles, and the guys said the city is almost like a character unto itself.

Eric noted, “I’ve been very fortunate, I’ve never shot a show outside of L.A… L.A. is, it's a very user-friendly backdrop when you’re not specifically using it for the stereotypical L.A. that presents around the world. We go all over Los Angeles; it’s not just Hollywood and Beverly Hills... which I think is great, gives it more of an accessible vibe."

Jensen added, "I called L.A. home for about 18 years, and coming back here and filming in the many locations that we filmed in, some places in L.A. I'd never even been to... I almost felt like I got to explore a city that I thought I knew and I didn't."

Eric is also shooting “Euphoria,” but couldn't spill many details, noting, “I’ve shot one day. I can tell you that we are in production. And that’s all I’m giving away.” When asked if fans will be happy, Eric said, "Yes, absolutely."