Eric Dane spent six seasons playing Dr. Mark Sloan onGreys Anatomy, but the actor says he barely watched any episodes of the hit ABC series. Ever.

In a recent interview with HuffPost at Build Series, Dane revealed, I watched three episodes of the show while I was on it. After all, he said, I was there when it happened, so I didnt need to see it.

So, its safe to say he doesnt keep up with the series now. But he does keep in touch with some of his former cast members, including Ellen Pompeo and Justin Chambers. Hes also still friendly with series creator Shonda Rhimes.

Shondas great, he said.Im still friends with her to this day. One thing that you do with Shonda is that you dont deviate. Thats one of the biggest lessons you learn is that you stick to the script.

Even though hes been off the series for five years now, Dane still gets called by his Greys nickname, McSteamy. But he doesnt seem to mind too much.

Ive been called a lot worse, he joked. It never did anything bad for me that nickname. So, I dont mind it ... Its not what Im doing now, so it does get a little tiring. But its not something that really upsets me.

Shortly after leaving Greys Anatomy Dane jumped into another big role. He currently stars as Tom Chandler in TNTs The Last Ship, which returns for Season 4 on Sunday. The series follows what happens after a global catastrophe wipes out the bulk of the population. Danes character a Navy captain faced a series of changes at the end of the last season. Season 4 will pick up where that storyline left off.

TNT

Tom Chandler left the Navy after doing something that he felt was morally way against everything he stood for. And hes in a self-imposed exile, Dane said.

Chandler is now in Greece living the life of a fisherman, and Dane says its only a matter of time before he finds some trouble, as he tends to do.

Tom Chandler has to find his way back into the Navy, into the fray, Dane said.

Dane says he really enjoys playing the character and can relate to some of the conflict Chandler experiences on the show. But unlike Greys Anatomy,starring in The Last Ship is physically challenging.

Its a lot of hard work. I enjoy it. But at the end of the day, youre home and you actually feel like you worked.

So, we have one last question: Does Dane watch episodes of The Last Ship?

Sometimes theyll be stupid enough to take my notes when I watch an episode, he said about the shows producers. I always try to offer like, I think theres a better take in there somewhere.

But he admits, its definitely uncomfortable seeing himself on TV, even after all these years.

Im not a big watcher of myself, he said. You start looking at things you shouldnt be looking at that have nothing to do with anything of importance.

The Last Ship returns with a two-hour season premiere this Sunday at 9 p.m. ET on TNT. Check out our full Build interview with Dane below.

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Eric Dane Only Watched Three Episodes Of 'Grey's Anatomy' - HuffPost