Sandra Oh played Dr. Cristina Yang on 'Grey's Anatomy'. Image Source: Indie Wire
Sandra Oh reflects on the fame she received post-Grey’s Anatomy while talking to Squid Game star Jung Ho-Yeon.
During Variety’s Actors on Actors series, Sandra Oh sat down with Jung Ho-Yeon to discuss their work and how fame took a toll on their mental health.
During the conversation, Jung Ho-Yeon, who rose to fame with Squid Game, complimented Sandra Oh for her exceptional work as Dr. Cristina Yang on Grey’s Anatomy and said that the show was a huge thing in Korea because people could see themselves being represented on-screen via Sandra Oh. Jung added that when she met Sandra Oh at the SAG Awards and Sandra knew her, at that moment she felt like, "Wow, people are now paying attention to her."
Sandra Oh responded by telling Jung Ho-Yeon that what she is doing at this age is challenging, and may be lonely since not everyone knows what performers go through, so she asked her how she has been feeling so far and how she has been staying healthy and balanced. Jung said that she likes debating with individuals who have more expertise than she has and that she appreciates sharing opinions. Sandra said that she has been in the business for a long time and that the thing that stands out to her the most is how her life changed when Grey's Anatomy came into her life.
Sandra went on to say that it's difficult to imagine since it's been 20 years, so the circumstances are quite different, but the tension or perplexity is the same. The actress than on to inquire about the young actress's health, adding that she is inquiring because when she was put under a spotlight, she fell unwell and her entire body went poorly. Sandra Oh continues by stating that she was unable to sleep, that her back hurt, and that she had no idea what was wrong with her skin.
The actress, who left the show after ten years, said she realized that she needed to prioritize her health, not just her body but also her spirit and that this is because you can't rely on anybody else in the end and must find it inside yourself. Jung went on to say that she just returned to Korea and opted not to respond to emails concerning her job, schedule, or people's contact information, explaining that she felt unwell before she left for her vacation and recognized that maybe it was too much.
Jung Ho-Yeon said that she tries to be her all the time, the healthy her, but it is not going to be easy and she is still going to make mistakes, adding that she is struggling but trying. Sandra added that she is in a very high state of mind right now and mentioned that their work as actors is not just filming but enjoying what they do. They get to sit and chat, which is a whole day of work. Sandra noted that as she progressed in her work, she recognized she needed to devote more time to her creative self. She noted that her creative self may be sleeping, wandering in the woods, meditating, going to class, or any combination of the above. The actress said that because she understands that the aspect is what keeps everything else going nearly the immediacy, the capacity to be there.
When Kevin McKidd shared that he is always trying to convince Sandra Oh to come back for the blue scrubs for one episode, she keeps saying no, but he has not given up on her and mentioned that one day she will say yes to working with him and the crew again. Kevin also shared that Sandra Oh is an artist and when she moves on, she moves on and it has nothing to do with any sort of bad feeling, it’s simply that she has moved on. Kevin McKidd plays Dr. Owen Hunt on the show who was married to Sandra Oh's character Dr. Cristina Yang for a while and since Yang is one of the most loved characters on the show, audience always speculates her guest appearance.
Sandra Oh was interviewed by Willie Geist on Sunday TODAY and said that it was traumatic, to be honest, and that she was saying that because of the circumstances, one needs to do their work with a lot of privacy and that when one loses their anonymity, they have to build skills to still try and be real. Sandra revealed to Willie that it was controllable with treatment and that she moved from not being able to go out, such as hiding in restaurants, to being able to handle attention and expectations while maintaining her sense of self. Sandra concluded that staying grounded requires effort. And a lot of the time, it's by saying NO.
