Most Grey's Anatomy fans agree that the show suffered a major loss with Sandra Oh exited the series after playing the beloved character Cristina Yang for ten seasons. Viewers fell in love with Cristina's ambitious drive and blunt delivery, along with her deep loyalty to best friend Meredith Grey.
She was responsible for some of the show's best early storylines and delivered plenty of humor thanks to her dry sensibilities and (sometimes) poor bedside manner. But based on the star's recent comments, it sounds like her time on the series wasn't always easy.
Even though the ABC medical drama is still running, no other character has come close to taking Cristina's place and when it does eventually end, she's sure to remain one of the best characters. But it wasn't always easy for Oh behind the scenes where she often had to fight for herself and her character.
On Sunday, June 15, Oh delivered the commencement speech for Dartmouth College's 2025 graduating class whilst receiving her honorary doctorate of the arts.
During her speech, via Entertainment Weekly, she talks about how important it is to sit with discomfort and understand why it "can be our greatest learning opportunity." She later segued into talking about her decade spent on Grey's Anatomy, and revealed that while it provided her with "financial stability, fame, and privilege," she also recalls it as "one of the most challenging decades of [her] life."
When Oh was on set, she would "fight" for her character because she felt as if she were responsible for Cristina, and I think that is a fair assessment. No one could have played Cristina like Oh did and it was her performance that really helped to elevate the series and make it into the flagship show it is today.
If there was something in the script that Oh didn't feel was right for her character, she would say speak up, to the point that that the Shondaland production team eventually brought on a "dedicated Sandra whisperer" who would go to set specifically to "deal" with her and her requests.
That said, Oh makes it clear she's now her "own whisperer," and also understands where Grey's Anatomy creator Shonda Rhimes was coming from.
There were times when Oh didn't like something written on the page, but then Rhimes would encourage her to trust the script.
"'Something will come through if you just say the damn words.' It has stayed with me. I heard her," Oh explained.
She makes a strong point about how feeling discomfort and understanding where it's coming from and what it's trying to tell you can be a valuable learning opportunity and assist in the development of "inner strength" that can fortify you against future challenges.
Oh started on the show in the pilot episode and remained on until the end of season 10 in 2014. Since then she has gone on to star in projects like Killing Eve, The Chair, Invincible, Umma, Quiz Lady, and more.
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