Eric Dane's Heartfelt Moment With Co-Star Jensen Ackles: 'I Love You' (Exclusive)

While sitting down with TooFab for an exclusive interview ahead of their new show with Amazon Prime, Countdown, Dane opened up about his relationships with his co-stars. Ahead of working with the fellow-TV icon, the Grey's Anatomy alum shared that he set up a meeting with someone who had previously worked with Ackles to dig up any dirt.

"I had done my research and my due diligence on Jensen because I knew I was going to be spending a lot of time with this guy," Dane told TooFab.

"I set up a lunch with somebody that I knew had worked with him in the past. I grilled him for about 45 minutes on this guy and he came up squeaky clean," he said, before joking, "I wanted something to be wrong with him."

The pair have clearly developed a strong friendship and working relationship since, as Ackles praised Dane's character on and off set.

"I did the same," Ackles said. "I did a little research into this guy and it was the opposite. He came up just filthy as mud," he joked, before changing his tune.

"I don't know that there's any generation alive right now that has escaped Grey's Anatomy. Or what this guy has done and how he has put his mark on not just national television, but international television," Ackled continued. "So I was really excited to meet him and mix it up with him and get into scenes with him. And I will say this he absolutely did not disappoint. The man is a consummate professional. He leads with just a stillness and a quietness and a silence that is really difficult to do in this industry. And I'm very thankful that I not only know him, but that I get to work with him."

"I love you, I swear to God" Dane said, as he turned his head toward his co-star.

The sweet moment comes after Dane, 52, opened up about his fight against ALS in a sitdown with ABC News' Diane Sawyer for Good Morning America, where he revealed his first symptoms of the debilitating disease and how he plans to slow the effects.

Both Ackles and Dane have been leaders in television for decades, with Dane starring as Dr. Mark Sloan -- also known as "McSteamy" -- on Grey's Anatomy and Ackles spending 15 years as Dean Winchester on CW's Supernatural. While the two are grateful for their long-lasting careers on hit shows, Dane admitted there are "pitfalls" of possibly being put in a box.

"Nobody elects to be in a box. You just kind of get put in a box. That's one of the pitfalls of being on such a long-running show as Grey's or Supernatural," he told TooFab. "You know, everybody's going to see him as Dean Winchester for the rest of his career because he did it for 15 years."

"I think that if you get put into a box in this industry, I think from a working actor's perspective, maybe that is debilitating. I don't view it as that. I view it as the fact that we actually made it into a box," Ackles added, sharing his slightly different POV.

"There is a playground in which we can play in and I'm happy to play in that as long as this industry will let me. If it wants to see me somewhere else and play in a different playground, I'm happy to do that too," he continued. "But again, I said it before, I'll say it again, I don't have to do this, I get to do this. And as long as I get to keep playing with amazing people like this and telling amazing stories like Derek has created, put me in a box all day."

Along with his iconic McSteamy in Grey's Anatomy, Dane has added another notable character to his resume as Euphoria's Cal Jacobs. Dane is currently in production for the third season of the HBO series -- and while he hasn't seen a script just yet, he does have hopes for his character.

"I would want some moment of redemption. I don't know," he told TooFab.

In the final episode of Season 2, viewers did see a turning point for his character, as his son Nate (Jacob Elordi) ended his toxic relationship with his father by turning him in to the police with incriminating evidence, including recorded sexual encounters. While their characters clearly have a lot of issues with each other, the two actors have a great relationship on set.

"Jacob and I have a pretty profound amount of respect for each other off set. He's a really great person," Dane shared. "And he's a lot of fun to work with. He's a very committed, just super committed actor, which allows us to sort of talk craft here and there, and we love doing that, and it's just a great time working with him."

Ackles also recently went back to work with some of his other costars -- as there will be a Supernatural reunion happening in the fifth and final season of The Boys. Ackles, who plays Soldier Boy, will be joined by both Jared Padalecki and Misha Collins, who starred Sam Winchester and Castiel, respectively, in the popular series.

"[It was] like we never left," he told TooFab of working together again. "Jared and Misha, they're brothers to me. We've spent countless hours together, not just on set but off set. And so anytime we're in a room together, it's very easy and very comfortable, and it's like being home. And anytime I get to mix it up with those guys, it's always a thrill."

Countdown premieres with three episodes on Wednesday, June 25, exclusively on Prime Video.

After an officer with the Department of Homeland Security is murdered in broad daylight, LAPD detective Mark Meachum (Ackles) is recruited to a secret task force, alongside undercover agents from all branches of law enforcement, to investigate.

But the hunt for the killer soon uncovers a plot far more sinister than anyone could have imagined, kicking off a race against time to save a city of millions.

New episodes will follow weekly, leading up to the season finale on Wednesday, September 3.