Actress and transgender activist, Alexandra Billings, shared an emotional story about a brave act by late Eric Dane on the Grey’s Anatomy set.

Billings shared a touching memory in an Instagram post on Friday, Feb. 20, from when she worked with Dane on a season 3 episode of Grey’s Anatomy. Billings was cast as a transgender patient diagnosed with breast cancer. Billings noted while she only worked with Dane briefly, she felt that the story was important to share and spoke to his character.

“I got the role on Grey’s Anatomy, which was shocking to me. I hadn’t done a lot of television, and I was floored. This was 2006,” Billings said. “Now, 20 years ago, the landscape for transgender performers in Hollywood was the Sahara Desert; it was nonexistent.”

Billings recalled the first time she met Dane on set during filming the episode titled “Where the Boys Are.”

“I meet Eric, who is lovely, and we do our first scene together,” she recalled. “The first scene is Eric and my character, Donna, explaining to Ellen [Pompeo], and he’s misgendering me a little bit, and we have this great little back-and-forth scene. We do it a couple of times, and the director says, ‘Cut.'”

Billings then said between takes, Dane asked her about her experience transitioning in the 80s.

“Eric turns to me between takes and says, ‘Alex, listen, what happened between you and your doctor when you talked to him about hormones and treatment? What transpired?'” she said.

Billings said she felt hesitant to answer at first, fearing that she needed to just “say her lines” and move on. Billings said that Dane, sensing her hesitancy, then reassured her, “It’s okay, I really want to know.'”

“The entire set stops and listens to me because of Eric. Again, this was 20 years ago,” Billings recalled.

Billings then shared with Dane how her doctor at the time was able to show her compassion and support during her transition. She said when they shot the scene again, Dane changed his demeanor after listening to her story.

“We start the scene again and as we are talking, Eric puts his hand on my shoulder, and then we do another take and Eric puts his hand right on my thigh or my knee,” she said emotionally. “And then at the end of the scene, he takes my hand —this isn’t in the script — he holds my hand, and I put my hand on top of his.”

Billings moved to tears added, “I know how mundane this sounds, but back then, it changed everythingfor me. This compassionate, kind, brave human being changed everything for me.”

Billings said Dane was “one of the kindest, most empathetic humans I think I’ve ever worked with.”